Why is it in the news?
ESA’s Cheops telescope discovered a four-planet system orbiting red dwarf LHS 1903.
Planetary arrangement challenges conventional formation models.
Category: Science and Technology
Important Points:
● Located 117 light-years from Earth
● Consists of two Super-Earths and two mini-Neptunes
● Outermost planet is rocky despite being beyond gaseous planets
● Surface temperature of fourth planet ~60°C
● Red dwarf star has 50% Sun’s mass and 5% luminosity
● Suggests sequential formation or atmospheric loss hypothesis
● Super-Earths: 2–10 times Earth’s mass
● Mini-Neptunes: thick gaseous envelopes