The planet is the first of its kind to be discovered in the 'Neptunian Desert'—the region immediately surrounding stars where no planets similar in size to Neptune are found.
Astronomers have discovered a “forbidden” planet three times the size of Earth in a region of a distant star system where theory suggests it should not exist.
According to a study published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical, the planet—officially called NGTS-4b—is the first exoplanet of its kind to be found in what scientists call the “Neptunian Desert.” "This planet must be tough—it is right in the zone where we expected Neptune-sized planets could not survive,” Richard West, author of the study from the Astronomy and Astrophysics Group at the University of Warwick in the U.K., said in a statement.
The planet was identified by an international team of astronomers using the Next-Generation Transit Survey telescopes at the European Southern Observatory's Paranal facility in the Atacama Desert, Chile. Like many other planets, it was discovered using the"transit method."
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