3. 11. 2026HD 210058 b is a giant planet whose orbit is slightly misaligned with its star’s rotation and slowly changes direction over time. Its changing transit path suggests that transits may be observable for only about six more years. A second object, BD+37 4838 b, also has a misaligned orbit, but its mass remains uncertain and its planetary status is unresolved.
HD 210058 b is a giant hot Jupiter with a mass of about 10 times Jupiter’s. Its orbital path is slightly misaligned with the rotation of its host star. The planet’s orbit also appears to change direction over time, a motion called nodal precession. The changing geometry means that transits across the star may remain observable for only about six more years. The orbital alignments were measured using TESS brightness observations and time-series spectra from the HARPS-N instrument. When a planet passes in front of a star, it blocks a small part of the star’s rotating surface. This creates a moving signal in the star’s spectrum, called a Doppler shadow, which helps reveal the planet’s path relative to the star’s rotation. The team also used the brightness data to refine properties of the stars and their companions. The second object, BD+37 4838 b, orbits a rapidly rotating star that shows two types of pulsation. Its orbit is more strongly misaligned with the star’s rotation than HD 210058 b’s. The object’s mass could not be reliably measured, so its status as a planet remains uncertain; the available data set an upper mass limit of about 24.3 times Jupiter’s.Key findings
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