UNC Grad Uncovers Rapidly Forming Exoplanet TIDYE-1b

Madyson Barber from UNC Chapel Hill has struck gold (or should we say gas?) by discovering the teeny-tiny (10.7 Earth radii) yet hefty (0.3 Jupiter masses) exoplanet IRAS 04125+2902 b, nicknamed TIDYE-1b, using NASA’s TESS data. At a mere 3 million years old and orbiting its star every 8.83 days from 520 light-years away, this planet defies formation norms. Next stop: James Webb Space Telescope to unveil its hydrogen-heavenly secrets!