06/03/2026
How many AU from its sun?
TOI-1452 b, located about 100 light-years away in the Draco constellation, is one of the most intriguing exoplanets discovered in recent years. Found using NASA's TESS mission and follow-up observations from ground-based instruments, the planet is roughly 70% larger than Earth and nearly five times more massive. Its unusual density suggests it is neither a typical rocky planet nor a gas giant, leading scientists to conclude that water may make up as much as 30% of its total mass.
Because TOI-1452 b orbits within the habitable zone of its red dwarf star, researchers believe it could be covered by a vast global ocean extending hundreds of kilometers deep above a rocky core. This potential "ocean world" differs dramatically from Earth, where water represents only a tiny fraction of the planet's mass. Future observations with the James Webb Space Telescope are expected to help determine whether TOI-1452 b truly possesses a massive liquid-water environment or an alternative atmospheric composition. Source/Credit: NASA TESS Mission, Université de Montréal, The Astronomical Journal, James Webb Space Telescope Research Team.
