 COCONUTS-2b with unWISE. The planet in the center of the image stands out due to its red color. The host star is not pictured here. | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Zhoujian Zhang Michael Liu Zach Claytor William Best Trent Dupuy Robert Siverd1 |
| Discovery date | August 2011 (as a free-floating brown dwarf)2
|
| Direct imaging | |
| Designations | |
| WISEPA J075108.79-763449.62 | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| 7,500+5,200 −2,100 AU4 (1.1×1012 km) | |
| 1.1+1.3 −0.4×1064 years | |
| Star | L 34-26 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 1.03+0.01 −0.02 RJ5 1.133+0.005 −0.006 RJ6 1.160+0.002 −0.003 RJ6 | |
| Mass | 7.3±0.3 MJ5 |
| log(g) = 4.30+0.04 −0.02 cgs5 | |
| Temperature | 468.1±1.1 K6 471.3+1.6 −1.4 K6 496+5 −3 K5 |
Spectral type | T9.5±0.57 |
COCONUTS-2 b is a gas giant exoplanet that orbits the M-type star L 34-26. With a mass of 7.3 Jupiters,5 it takes over one million years to complete one orbit around the star orbiting 7,500 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 2021.8 At a distance of 35.5 light-years (10.9 parsecs), COCONUTS-2b was the closest directly imaged exoplanet to Earth until Epsilon Indi Ab was imaged in 2024.9
Proposed formation scenarios
The researchers found that it is unlikely that COCONUTS-2b was formed inside the protoplanetary disk of the host star and may instead have formed separately.410
The peculiar properties of COCONUTS-2b could be explained with different scenarios as proposed by Marocco et al. in 2024. The properties could be explained by a non-solar carbon-to-oxygen ratio, meaning that it formed inside a disk around L 34–26. In this scenario the most likely way COCONUTS-2b got in a higher orbit is by a stellar fly-by of two binaries or two planetary systems. In the second scenario L 34-26 is not actually young, but mimics youth due to tidal and/or magnetic interactions with an unseen companion. In this scenario COCONUTS-2b would be an old brown dwarf. In a third scenario COCONUTS-2b could be a captured old brown dwarf. This is however seen as unlikely due to the stellar fly-by requiring a low velocity.11
Another study in 2024 found that the metallicity of the planet is lower than that of the host star, which is inconsistent with it forming on its current location, like a binary system. Only their third-preferred model is consistent with a binary-like formation, because in this model the metallicity of host star and planet agreed.7
Atmosphere
The planet's spectral type suggests high amounts of methane, water vapor and low amounts of carbon monoxide in the atmosphere of COCONUTS-2b. It might also have both clouds and a non-equilibrium process in its atmosphere.24
Due to its large orbital separation, COCONUTS-2b is a great laboratory to study the atmosphere and composition of young gas-giant exoplanets.3 The planet's temperature is estimated at 496 K (223 °C; 433 °F).5
Observations with Gemini/Flamingos-2 showed a spectral type of T9.5±0.5, near the T/Y transition. The spectrum is also more consistent with disequilibrium chemistry and the presence of clouds. Additionally the atmosphere shows a diabatic thermal structure, meaning the pressure-temperature profile is non-adiabatic. Adiabatic means here an increase of the temperature with pressure. The observation also indicate a sub- or near-solar metallicity.7
Host star
| Observation data Epoch J2000.0 Equinox J2000.0 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Chamaeleon |
| Right ascension | 07h 49m 12.678s12 |
| Declination | −76° 42′ 06.72″12 |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 11.313 |
| Characteristics | |
| Evolutionary stage | Red dwarf |
| Spectral type | M3V13 |
| Astrometry | |
| Radial velocity (Rv) | 1.19±0.6114 km/s |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: −102.154 mas/yr12 Dec.: −192.918 mas/yr12 |
| Parallax (π) | 91.8263±0.0185 mas12 |
| Distance | 35.519 ± 0.007 ly (10.890 ± 0.002 pc) |
| Details | |
| Mass | 0.40+0.01 −0.0215 M☉ |
| Radius | 0.366+0.015 −0.01415 R☉ |
| Surface gravity (log g) | 4.91+0.02 −0.0115 cgs |
| Temperature | 3,552+65 −3215 K |
| Age | 414±2315 Myr |
| Other designations | |
| L 34-26, COCONUTS-2A, WISEPA J075108.79-763449.6, 1RXS J074912.9-764202, 2MASS J07491271-7642065, NLTT 18592, TIC 272232401, TYC 9381-1809-1, UCAC4 067-006518 | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
L 34–26, also known as COCONUTS-2A and TYC 9381–1809–1, is a M3-type dwarf star located 35 light-years from Earth, 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.16
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.17 The star is seen almost equator-on with i = 81.8°±5.8°11 and is considered to be a member of the Ursa Major corona with a probability of 99%. Being a member of the corona, the age of the star and its planet would be 414±23 million years.15
Gallery
-
The COCONUTS-2 system with unWISE -
The planet COCONUTS-2b with Gemini-South -
Allwise image by the discoverers, showing planet COCONUTS-2b
References
References
- "Massive COCONUTS exoplanet discovery led by UH grad student | University of Hawaiʻi System News". University of Hawaiʻi News. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- Kirkpatrick, J. Davy; Cushing, Michael C.; Gelino, Christopher R.; Griffith, Roger L.; Skrutskie, Michael F.; Marsh, Kenneth A.; Wright, Edward L.; Mainzer, A.; Eisenhardt, Peter R.; McLean, Ian S.; Thompson, Maggie A.; Bauer, James M.; Benford, Dominic J.; Bridge, Carrie R.; Lake, Sean E. (2011-12-01). "The First Hundred Brown Dwarfs Discovered by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 197 (2): 19. arXiv:1108.4677. Bibcode:2011ApJS..197...19K. doi:10.1088/0067-0049/197/2/19. ISSN 0067-0049. S2CID 16850733.
- Kooser, Amanda. "Massive exoplanet 'Coconuts-2b' could help reveal the secrets of young gas giants". CNET. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- Zhang, Zhoujian; Liu, Michael C.; Claytor, Zachary R.; Best, William M. J.; Dupuy, Trent J.; Siverd, Robert J. (2021-08-01). "The Second Discovery from the COCONUTS Program: A Cold Wide-orbit Exoplanet around a Young Field M Dwarf at 10.9 pc". The Astrophysical Journal. 916 (2): L11. arXiv:2107.02805. Bibcode:2021ApJ...916L..11Z. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ac1123. ISSN 0004-637X.
- Ravet, Matthieu; Bonnefoy, Mickaël; Chauvin, Gaël; Zhang, Zhoujian; Faherty, Jacqueline K.; Voyer, Maël; Phillips, Mark W.; Tremblin, Pascal; Kiman, Rocio (2026-04-08). "Panchromatic View of the Frigid Jovian Exoplanet COCONUTS-2 b". Astronomy and Astrophysics. arXiv:2604.07176.
- Kühnle, H.; Matthews, E. C.; Mollière, P.; Patapis, P.; Zhang, Z.; Nasedkin, E.; Gasman, D.; Whiteford, N.; Wang, H. S. (2026-04-29). "Oxygen and nitrogen isotopologues on cold COCONUTS-2b observed with MIRI/MRS". Astronomy and Astrophysics. arXiv:2604.26850.
- Zhang, Zhoujian; et al. (2025). "Disequilibrium Chemistry, Diabatic Thermal Structure, and Clouds in the Atmosphere of COCONUTS-2b". The Astronomical Journal. 169 (1) 9. arXiv:2410.10939. Bibcode:2025AJ....169....9Z. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ad8b2d.
- "Exoplanet-catalog". Exoplanet Exploration: Planets Beyond our Solar System. Archived from the original on 2021-11-22. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
- "NASA's Webb Images Cold Exoplanet 12 Light-Years Away - NASA Science". 2024-07-24. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
- Marley, Mark S.; Fortney, Jonathan J.; Hubickyj, Olenka; Bodenheimer, Peter; Lissauer, Jack J. (2007-01-01). "On the Luminosity of Young Jupiters". The Astrophysical Journal. 655 (1): 541–549. arXiv:astro-ph/0609739. Bibcode:2007ApJ...655..541M. doi:10.1086/509759. ISSN 0004-637X. S2CID 7793365.
- Marocco, Federico; Kirkpatrick, J. Davy; Schneider, Adam C.; et al. (2024-04-22). "Thirteen New M Dwarf + T Dwarf Pairs Identified with WISE/NEOWISE". The Astrophysical Journal. 967 (2): 147. arXiv:2404.14324. Bibcode:2024ApJ...967..147M. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ad3f1d.
- Vallenari, A.; et al. (Gaia collaboration) (2023). "Gaia Data Release 3. Summary of the content and survey properties". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 674: A1. arXiv:2208.00211. Bibcode:2023A&A...674A...1G. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202243940. S2CID 244398875. Gaia DR3 record for this source at VizieR.
- Martin, Pierre-Yves (2021). "Planet COCONUTS-2 b". Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
- "Simbad - Object view". simbad.cds.unistra.fr. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
- Kiman, Rocio; Beichman, Charles A.; Diaz, Azul Ruiz; Faherty, Jacqueline K.; Lacy, Brianna; Suarez, Genaro; Marocco, Federico; Kirkpatrick, J. Davy; Gagne, Jonathan (2025-11-25). "The Diversity of Cold Worlds: Age and Characterization of the Exoplanet COCONUTS-2b". The Astronomical Journal. arXiv:2511.20923.
- "Giant Exoplanet Orbits Its Host Star Once Every 1.1 Million Years | Astronomy | Sci-News.com". Breaking Science News | Sci-News.com. Archived from the original on 2021-11-22. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
- Stelzer, B.; Bogner, M.; Magaudda, E.; Raetz, St. (2022). "Flares and rotation of M dwarfs with habitable zones accessible to TESS planet detections". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 665: A30. arXiv:2207.03794. Bibcode:2022A&A...665A..30S. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202142088. S2CID 249662585.