The star
The star
TOI-261
- Type
- yellow star
- Surface
- ≈ 5,890 K
- Size
- 1.31 × the Sun
- Mass
- 1.07 × the Sun
- Brightness
- 1.78 × the Sun
- Habitable zone
- 0.994–2.33 AU
The planets
TOI-261
TOI-261.01
- Year
- 3.36 days
- Distance from star
- 0.0348 AU
- Mass
- 9.5 Earths
- Size
- 3 × Earth
- Temperature
- ≈ 1722 K (+1449 °C)
- Found
- 2021, transit (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS))
TOI-261
TOI-261.02
- Year
- 13.04 days
- Distance from star
- 0.111 AU
- Mass
- 11 Earths
- Size
- 3.3 × Earth
- Temperature
- ≈ 1008 K (+734 °C)
- Found
- 2021, transit (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS))
Masses found by the wobble method are minimums, because the orbit's tilt is unknown. Temperatures are equilibrium estimates for a bare planet, before any atmosphere.
How we know
The shadow
The planet passes in front of its star and dims it by a fraction of a percent, every orbit. The dip gives the planet's size and year.
Sources
- Planet and star parameters: NASA Exoplanet Archive, Planetary Systems Composite Parameters, retrieved 1 Nov 2026. This research has made use of the NASA Exoplanet Archive, which is operated by the California Institute of Technology, under contract with NASA under the Exoplanet Exploration Program.
- Position: HYG Database v4.1 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Habitable zone: a simple estimate from the star's brightness (√L × 0.95 to 1.67 AU), shown as a guide.