The HD 60779 Planetary System: A Transiting Sub-Neptune on a 30 Day Orbit and a More Massive Outer World

Victoria DiTomasso; David Charbonneau; Andrew Vanderburg; Mercedes López-Morales; Shreyas Vissapragada; Annelies Mortier; Thomas G. Wilson; Elyse Incha; Andrew Collier Cameron; Luca Malavolta; Lars A. Buchhave; David W. Latham; Matteo Pinamonti; Stephanie Striegel; Michael Fausnaugh; Luke Bouma; Ben Falk; Robert Aloisi; Xavier Dumusque; A. Anna John; Ben S. Lakeland; A. F. Martínez Fiorenzano; Luca Naponiello; Belinda Nicholson; Emily K. Pass; Francesco Alfonso Pepe; Federica Rescigno; Alessandro Sozzetti; Daisy A. Turner; Saul A. Rappaport; Mark Omohundro; Brian P. Powell; Robert Gagliano; Thomas L. Jacobs; Veselin B. Kostov; Martti H. Kristiansen; Daryll M. LaCourse; Allan R. Schmitt; Hans Martin Schwengeler; Ivan A. Terentev

doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ae819f

The HD 60779 Planetary System: A Transiting Sub-Neptune on a 30 Day Orbit and a More Massive Outer World

Victoria DiTomasso^*
, David Charbonneau
, Andrew Vanderburg
, Mercedes López-Morales
, Shreyas Vissapragada
, Annelies Mortier
, Thomas G. Wilson
, Elyse Incha
, Andrew Collier Cameron
, Luca Malavolta
, Lars A. Buchhave
, David W. Latham
, Matteo Pinamonti
, Stephanie Striegel
, Michael Fausnaugh
, Luke Bouma
, Ben Falk
, Robert Aloisi
, Xavier Dumusque
, A. Anna John

Ben S. Lakeland, A. F. Martínez Fiorenzano, Luca Naponiello, Belinda Nicholson, Emily K. Pass, Francesco Alfonso Pepe, Federica Rescigno, Alessandro Sozzetti, Daisy A. Turner, Saul A. Rappaport, Mark Omohundro, Brian P. Powell, Robert Gagliano, Thomas L. Jacobs, Veselin B. Kostov, Martti H. Kristiansen, Daryll M. LaCourse, Allan R. Schmitt, Hans Martin Schwengeler, Ivan A. Terentev

^*Corresponding author for this work

Physics and Astronomy

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

4 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

We present the discovery of the planetary system orbiting the bright (V = 7.2), nearby (35 pc), Sun-like (M_⋆ = 1.050 ± 0.044 M_⊙, R_⋆ = 1.129 ± 0.013 R_⊙) star, HD 60779. We report two Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite transits and a subsequent Characterising Exoplanet Satellite transit of HD 60779 b, a sub-Neptune (3.246_−0.097^+0.100 R_⊕) planet on a 29.986175_−0.000033^+0.000030 orbit. Additionally, 313 High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher for the Northern hemisphere radial velocity (RV) measurements reveal the mass of planet b (14.19_−0.96^+0.97 M_⊕) and the presence of an outer planet, HD 60779 c (P_orb = 104.79 ± 0.23 days, M_p sin i = 28.3 ± 1.5 M_⊕). Both of these planets’ orbits are consistent with being circular, suggesting that they have a dynamically quiet history. The data are not sufficient to determine whether planet c transits. HD 60779’s uniquely high systemic RV (129.75 ± 0.12 km s⁻¹) allows its Lyα emission to avoid absorption by the interstellar medium, making it a prime candidate for probing atmospheric escape from HD 60779 b. HD 60779 is also the third brightest host of a P_orb > 25 day sub-Neptune with a measured mass and radius, distinguishing it in terms of accessibility to spectroscopic characterization.

Original language	English
Article number	97
Number of pages	15
Journal	The Astronomical Journal
Volume	172
Issue number	2
Early online date	17 Jul 2026
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ae819f
Publication status	Published - Aug 2026

Access to Document

10.3847/1538-3881/ae819fLicence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC BY)

DiTomassoV2026HD60779Final published version, 6.21 MBLicence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC BY)

Finding a second Earth through stellar understanding
Mortier, A. (Principal Investigator)
Medical Research Council
1/06/24 → 31/05/28
Project: Research Councils
From oscillations to rotation: Detecting exoplanets through BiSON
Mortier, A. (Principal Investigator)
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY FACILITIES COUNCIL
1/04/24 → 31/03/27
Project: Research Councils

Cite this

DiTomasso, V., Charbonneau, D., Vanderburg, A., López-Morales, M., Vissapragada, S., Mortier, A., Wilson, T. G., Incha, E., Collier Cameron, A., Malavolta, L., Buchhave, L. A., Latham, D. W., Pinamonti, M., Striegel, S., Fausnaugh, M., Bouma, L., Falk, B., Aloisi, R., Dumusque, X., ... Terentev, I. A. (2026). The HD 60779 Planetary System: A Transiting Sub-Neptune on a 30 Day Orbit and a More Massive Outer World. The Astronomical Journal, 172(2), Article 97. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ae819f

@article{2581bfc2dae145c183dd68d7d8e8b0b9,

title = "The HD 60779 Planetary System: A Transiting Sub-Neptune on a 30 Day Orbit and a More Massive Outer World",

abstract = "We present the discovery of the planetary system orbiting the bright (V = 7.2), nearby (35 pc), Sun-like (M⋆ = 1.050 ± 0.044 M⊙, R⋆ = 1.129 ± 0.013 R⊙) star, HD 60779. We report two Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite transits and a subsequent Characterising Exoplanet Satellite transit of HD 60779 b, a sub-Neptune (3.246−0.097+0.100 R⊕) planet on a 29.986175−0.000033+0.000030 orbit. Additionally, 313 High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher for the Northern hemisphere radial velocity (RV) measurements reveal the mass of planet b (14.19−0.96+0.97 M⊕) and the presence of an outer planet, HD 60779 c (Porb = 104.79 ± 0.23 days, Mp sin i = 28.3 ± 1.5 M⊕). Both of these planets{\textquoteright} orbits are consistent with being circular, suggesting that they have a dynamically quiet history. The data are not sufficient to determine whether planet c transits. HD 60779{\textquoteright}s uniquely high systemic RV (129.75 ± 0.12 km s−1) allows its Lyα emission to avoid absorption by the interstellar medium, making it a prime candidate for probing atmospheric escape from HD 60779 b. HD 60779 is also the third brightest host of a Porb > 25 day sub-Neptune with a measured mass and radius, distinguishing it in terms of accessibility to spectroscopic characterization.",

author = "Victoria DiTomasso and David Charbonneau and Andrew Vanderburg and Mercedes L{\'o}pez-Morales and Shreyas Vissapragada and Annelies Mortier and Wilson, \{Thomas G.\} and Elyse Incha and \{Collier Cameron\}, Andrew and Luca Malavolta and Buchhave, \{Lars A.\} and Latham, \{David W.\} and Matteo Pinamonti and Stephanie Striegel and Michael Fausnaugh and Luke Bouma and Ben Falk and Robert Aloisi and Xavier Dumusque and John, \{A. Anna\} and Lakeland, \{Ben S.\} and \{Mart{\'i}nez Fiorenzano\}, \{A. F.\} and Luca Naponiello and Belinda Nicholson and Pass, \{Emily K.\} and Pepe, \{Francesco Alfonso\} and Federica Rescigno and Alessandro Sozzetti and Turner, \{Daisy A.\} and Rappaport, \{Saul A.\} and Mark Omohundro and Powell, \{Brian P.\} and Robert Gagliano and Jacobs, \{Thomas L.\} and Kostov, \{Veselin B.\} and Kristiansen, \{Martti H.\} and LaCourse, \{Daryll M.\} and Schmitt, \{Allan R.\} and Schwengeler, \{Hans Martin\} and Terentev, \{Ivan A.\}",

year = "2026",

month = aug,

doi = "10.3847/1538-3881/ae819f",

language = "English",

volume = "172",

journal = "The Astronomical Journal",

issn = "0004-6256",

publisher = "American Astronomical Society",

number = "2",

}

DiTomasso, V, Charbonneau, D, Vanderburg, A, López-Morales, M, Vissapragada, S, Mortier, A, Wilson, TG, Incha, E, Collier Cameron, A, Malavolta, L, Buchhave, LA, Latham, DW, Pinamonti, M, Striegel, S, Fausnaugh, M, Bouma, L, Falk, B, Aloisi, R, Dumusque, X, John, AA , Lakeland, BS, Martínez Fiorenzano, AF, Naponiello, L, Nicholson, B, Pass, EK, Pepe, FA, Rescigno, F, Sozzetti, A, Turner, DA, Rappaport, SA, Omohundro, M, Powell, BP, Gagliano, R, Jacobs, TL, Kostov, VB, Kristiansen, MH, LaCourse, DM, Schmitt, AR, Schwengeler, HM & Terentev, IA 2026, 'The HD 60779 Planetary System: A Transiting Sub-Neptune on a 30 Day Orbit and a More Massive Outer World', The Astronomical Journal, vol. 172, no. 2, 97. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/ae819f

TY - JOUR

T1 - The HD 60779 Planetary System

T2 - A Transiting Sub-Neptune on a 30 Day Orbit and a More Massive Outer World

AU - DiTomasso, Victoria

AU - Charbonneau, David

AU - Vanderburg, Andrew

AU - López-Morales, Mercedes

AU - Vissapragada, Shreyas

AU - Mortier, Annelies

AU - Wilson, Thomas G.

AU - Incha, Elyse

AU - Collier Cameron, Andrew

AU - Malavolta, Luca

AU - Buchhave, Lars A.

AU - Latham, David W.

AU - Pinamonti, Matteo

AU - Striegel, Stephanie

AU - Fausnaugh, Michael

AU - Bouma, Luke

AU - Falk, Ben

AU - Aloisi, Robert

AU - Dumusque, Xavier

AU - John, A. Anna

AU - Lakeland, Ben S.

AU - Martínez Fiorenzano, A. F.

AU - Naponiello, Luca

AU - Nicholson, Belinda

AU - Pass, Emily K.

AU - Pepe, Francesco Alfonso

AU - Rescigno, Federica

AU - Sozzetti, Alessandro

AU - Turner, Daisy A.

AU - Rappaport, Saul A.

AU - Omohundro, Mark

AU - Powell, Brian P.

AU - Gagliano, Robert

AU - Jacobs, Thomas L.

AU - Kostov, Veselin B.

AU - Kristiansen, Martti H.

AU - LaCourse, Daryll M.

AU - Schmitt, Allan R.

AU - Schwengeler, Hans Martin

AU - Terentev, Ivan A.

PY - 2026/8

Y1 - 2026/8

N2 - We present the discovery of the planetary system orbiting the bright (V = 7.2), nearby (35 pc), Sun-like (M⋆ = 1.050 ± 0.044 M⊙, R⋆ = 1.129 ± 0.013 R⊙) star, HD 60779. We report two Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite transits and a subsequent Characterising Exoplanet Satellite transit of HD 60779 b, a sub-Neptune (3.246−0.097+0.100 R⊕) planet on a 29.986175−0.000033+0.000030 orbit. Additionally, 313 High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher for the Northern hemisphere radial velocity (RV) measurements reveal the mass of planet b (14.19−0.96+0.97 M⊕) and the presence of an outer planet, HD 60779 c (Porb = 104.79 ± 0.23 days, Mp sin i = 28.3 ± 1.5 M⊕). Both of these planets’ orbits are consistent with being circular, suggesting that they have a dynamically quiet history. The data are not sufficient to determine whether planet c transits. HD 60779’s uniquely high systemic RV (129.75 ± 0.12 km s−1) allows its Lyα emission to avoid absorption by the interstellar medium, making it a prime candidate for probing atmospheric escape from HD 60779 b. HD 60779 is also the third brightest host of a Porb > 25 day sub-Neptune with a measured mass and radius, distinguishing it in terms of accessibility to spectroscopic characterization.

AB - We present the discovery of the planetary system orbiting the bright (V = 7.2), nearby (35 pc), Sun-like (M⋆ = 1.050 ± 0.044 M⊙, R⋆ = 1.129 ± 0.013 R⊙) star, HD 60779. We report two Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite transits and a subsequent Characterising Exoplanet Satellite transit of HD 60779 b, a sub-Neptune (3.246−0.097+0.100 R⊕) planet on a 29.986175−0.000033+0.000030 orbit. Additionally, 313 High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher for the Northern hemisphere radial velocity (RV) measurements reveal the mass of planet b (14.19−0.96+0.97 M⊕) and the presence of an outer planet, HD 60779 c (Porb = 104.79 ± 0.23 days, Mp sin i = 28.3 ± 1.5 M⊕). Both of these planets’ orbits are consistent with being circular, suggesting that they have a dynamically quiet history. The data are not sufficient to determine whether planet c transits. HD 60779’s uniquely high systemic RV (129.75 ± 0.12 km s−1) allows its Lyα emission to avoid absorption by the interstellar medium, making it a prime candidate for probing atmospheric escape from HD 60779 b. HD 60779 is also the third brightest host of a Porb > 25 day sub-Neptune with a measured mass and radius, distinguishing it in terms of accessibility to spectroscopic characterization.

U2 - 10.3847/1538-3881/ae819f

DO - 10.3847/1538-3881/ae819f

M3 - Article

SN - 0004-6256

VL - 172

JO - The Astronomical Journal

JF - The Astronomical Journal

IS - 2

M1 - 97

ER -

The HD 60779 Planetary System: A Transiting Sub-Neptune on a 30 Day Orbit and a More Massive Outer World

Abstract

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Projects

Finding a second Earth through stellar understanding

From oscillations to rotation: Detecting exoplanets through BiSON

Cite this