TOI-260 and Its Super-Earth

TOI-260 is a K8 V star located 65.8 light-years from Earth. The "V" in its spectral type marks it as a main-sequence dwarf, and its leading K places it among the cooler, redder temperature classes. This star has a mass of 0.616 solar masses, a radius of 0.607 solar radii, and a temperature of 4030 K. It hosts one known planet.

That planet is TOI-260 b, discovered in 2024 by the transit method, in which a planet passing in front of its star from our viewpoint causes a small dip in observed brightness. Repeated dips help establish orbital periods. TOI-260 b is classified as a Super-Earth, a size class for planets reaching up to 2.5 times Earth's radius. Its radius of 1.71 Earth radii is larger than Earth's, and its mass of 4.23 Earth masses is likewise larger than Earth's. Its mean density is 4.66 g/cm³, 0.846 times Earth's. The planet completes one orbit, its year, in 13.5 days.