Artist’s Impression of a Hot Jupiter Progenitor Orbiting a Star

This artist’s impression shows a Jupiter-like exoplanet that is on its way to becoming a hot Jupiter — a large, Jupiter-like exoplanet that orbits very close to its star. Using the WIYN 3.5-meter telescope at the U.S. National Science Foundation Kitt Peak National Observatory, a Program of NSF NOIRLab, a team of astronomers found that this exoplanet, named TIC 241249530 b, follows an extremely elliptical orbit in the direction opposite to the rotation of its host star. These unique orbital characteristics hint at the planet’s formation history as well as its future trajectory, allowing the team to determine that TIC 241249530 b will eventually migrate inward to a tighter, more circular orbit. Discovering this exoplanet pre-migration lends valuable insight into how hot Jupiters form and evolve over time.