GJ 523b — “Mega-Earth”

GJ 523b — “Mega-Earth”

Category: Science & Technology / Space / Astronomy

• Astronomers discovered GJ 523b, described as a rocky “mega-Earth”.
• It is estimated to be around 170 million years old.
• Mass is about 23 times Earth's mass.
• Radius is approximately 2.55 times Earth's radius.
• It orbits an orange K-dwarf star.
• The host star is about 87 light-years from Earth.
• GJ 523b completes an orbit in approximately 17.75 days.
• Its existence was initially detected by NASA's TESS, followed by ground-based confirmation using instruments including the WIYN 3.5-metre telescope.

UPSC Focus: Exoplanets, TESS, K-dwarf stars, astronomical observation.