We found a giant planet orbiting a star that’s nearly as old as the entire universe.
March 30, 2026
Original Paper
TOI-7169 b: A Hot Jupiter Transiting a Metal-Poor Star
arXiv · 2603.25787
The Takeaway
It was long believed that the early universe lacked the heavy elements needed to build giant planets, requiring several generations of stars to 'cook' those materials first. This discovery proves that massive planets could form even in the universe's most primitive, metal-poor environments.
From the abstract
Most known planets are found around metal-rich host stars, which has made it difficult to determine whether a lower metallicity limit for planet formation exists and how the properties of planets born in low-metallicity environments may differ from those with metal-rich origins. We present the discovery and characterization of TOI-7169 b (TIC 372048733 b), a hot Jupiter that is orbiting a spectroscopically-confirmed metal-poor ([Fe/H] = -0.72 +/- 0.05) host star. Based on photometry from TESS an