TOI-1478 b: A Jupiter-Like World in a Distant System

TOI-1478 is a single star located 499 light-years from Earth. Its reported mass is 0.947 solar masses, its radius is 1.05 solar radii, and its temperature is 5600 K. The star is estimated to be 9.1 billion years old. Its radius is larger than the Sun's, while its temperature is cooler than the Sun's. One known planet orbits this host.

That planet is TOI-1478 b, a Jupiter-like world discovered by the transit method in 2021. Transits occur when a planet crosses in front of its star from our viewpoint, producing a small dip in observed brightness. Repeated dips help establish orbital periods. TOI-1478 b completes one orbit in 10.2 days, and its radius is 12 Earth radii. This radius is larger than Earth's, placing it above the 4-Earth-radius Jupiter-like threshold. Its mass is 280 Earth masses, also larger than Earth's. The planet's mean density is 0.893 g/cm³, 0.162 times Earth's.