COCONUTS-2 b, or WISEPA J075108.79-763449.6, is a
gas giantexoplanet that orbits the
M-type starL 34-26. With a mass of 6.3
Jupiters, it takes over one million years to complete one orbit around the star orbiting 7,506
AU away from it.[1]
The planet was discovered in 2011 and was initially identified as a T9 free-floating
brown dwarf WISEPA J075108.79−763449.6.[2] During the
COol Companions ON Ultrawide orbiTS (COCONUTS) survey, its association with L 34-26 was announced in 2021.[7] At a distance of 10.9 pc, COCONUTS-2b is the closest
directly imaged exoplanet to Earth known to date.[8]
The researchers found that it is unlikely that COCONUTS-2b was formed inside the
protoplanetary disk of the host star and it is more likely that the planet formed on its own via high
entropy formation (aka hot-start process).[6][9]
Due to its large orbital separation, COCONUTS-2b is a great laboratory to study the atmosphere and composition of young gas-giant exoplanets.[3] Astronomers estimate the planet’s temperature to be around 434 K (161 °C; 322 °F).[6]
Host star
L 34-26
L 34-26 (COCONUTS-2A) and its planetary companion in
unWISE
L 34-26, also known as COCONUTS-2A and TYC 9381-1809-1, is a M3-type dwarf star located 35 light-years away, in the constellation of
Chamaeleon. The star is about one-third the mass of the Sun, with an age between 150 and 800 million years old.[13]
Researchers using
TESS found that L 34-26 showed
stellar flares about every 0.48 days. It was the most active planet hosting star in their sample. The team studying the host star also found that L 34-26 is fast rotating with a rotation period of 2.83 days. The planet should not be influenced by the flares, because of the large orbital separation.[14]