TOI-7166 b: a habitable zone mini-Neptune planet around a nearby low-mass star

Khalid Barkaoui; Francisco J Pozuelos; Benjamin V Rackham; Adam J Burgasser; Amaury H M J Triaud; Miquel Serra-Ricart; Mathilde Timmermans; Selçuk Yalçınkaya; Abderahmane Soubkiou; Keivan G Stassun; Karen A Collins; Pedro J Amado; Özgur Baştürk; Artem Burdanov; Yasmin T Davis; Julien de Wit; Brice-Olivier Demory; Sarah Deveny; Georgina Dransfield; Elsa Ducrot; Michaël Gillon; Yilen Gómez Maqueo Chew; Matthew J Hooton; Keith Horne; Steve B Howell; Clàudia Janó Muñoz; Emmanuel Jehin; John M Jenkins; Colin Littlefield; Eduardo L Martín; Prajwal Niraula; Peter P Pedersen; Dedier Queloz; Madison G Scott; Ramotholo Sefako; Avi Shporer; Christopher Stockdale; Emma Softich; Alfredo Sota; Benjamin Tofflemire; Özlem Şimşir; Roberto Varas; Francis Zong Lang; Sebastián S Zúñiga-Fernández

doi:10.1093/mnras/staf1807

TOI-7166 b: a habitable zone mini-Neptune planet around a nearby low-mass star

Khalid Barkaoui^*
, Francisco J Pozuelos
, Benjamin V Rackham
, Adam J Burgasser
, Amaury H M J Triaud
, Miquel Serra-Ricart
, Mathilde Timmermans
, Selçuk Yalçınkaya
, Abderahmane Soubkiou
, Keivan G Stassun
, Karen A Collins
, Pedro J Amado
, Özgur Baştürk
, Artem Burdanov
, Yasmin T Davis
, Julien de Wit
, Brice-Olivier Demory
, Sarah Deveny
, Georgina Dransfield
, Elsa Ducrot

Michaël Gillon, Yilen Gómez Maqueo Chew, Matthew J Hooton, Keith Horne, Steve B Howell, Clàudia Janó Muñoz, Emmanuel Jehin, John M Jenkins, Colin Littlefield, Eduardo L Martín, Prajwal Niraula, Peter P Pedersen, Dedier Queloz, Madison G Scott, Ramotholo Sefako, Avi Shporer, Christopher Stockdale, Emma Softich, Alfredo Sota, Benjamin Tofflemire, Özlem Şimşir, Roberto Varas, Francis Zong Lang, Sebastián S Zúñiga-Fernández

^*Corresponding author for this work

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

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Abstract

We present the discovery and validation of TOI-7166 b, a 2.01 ± 0.05 R_⊕ planet orbiting a nearby low-mass star. We validated the planet by combining Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite and multicolour high-precision photometric observations from ground-based telescopes, together with spectroscopic data, high-contrast imaging, archival images, and statistical arguments. The host star is an M4-type dwarf at a distance of ∼35 pc from the Sun. It has a mass and a radius of M_* = 0.190 ± 0.004 M_⨀ and R_* = 0.222 ± 0.005 R_⨀, respectively. TOI-7166 b has an orbital period of 12.9 d, which places it close to the inner edge of the Habitable Zone of its host star, receiving an insolation flux of S_p = 1.07 ± 0.08 S_⊕ and an equilibrium temperature of T_eq = 249 ± 5 K (assuming a null Bond albedo). The brightness of the host star makes TOI-7166 a suitable target for radial velocity follow-up to measure the planetary mass and bulk density. Moreover, the physical parameters of the system including the infrared brightness (K_mag = 10.6) of the star and the planet-to-star radius ratio (0.0823 ± 0.0012) make TOI-7166 b an exquisite target for transmission spectroscopic observations with the James Webb Space Telescope, to constrain the exoplanet atmospheric compositions.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	2637-2652
Number of pages	16
Journal	Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume	544
Issue number	2
Early online date	21 Oct 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staf1807
Publication status	Published - Dec 2025

Keywords

exoplanets
stars: low-mass
planets and satellites: detection
stars: late-type
stars: individual

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10.1093/mnras/staf1807Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC BY)

BarkaouiK2025TOI7166bFinal published version, 7.63 MBLicence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC BY)

H2020_ERC_BEBOP
Triaud, A. (Principal Investigator)
European Commission
1/11/18 → 31/10/24
Project: EU
Red-Enhanced Cameras to Seek Rocky Planets Transiting Ultra-Cool Dwarfs
Chaplin, B. (Co-Investigator) & Triaud, A. (Principal Investigator)
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY FACILITIES COUNCIL
1/10/18 → 20/09/19
Project: Research Councils

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Barkaoui, K., Pozuelos, F. J., Rackham, B. V., Burgasser, A. J., Triaud, A. H. M. J., Serra-Ricart, M., Timmermans, M., Yalçınkaya, S., Soubkiou, A., Stassun, K. G., Collins, K. A., Amado, P. J., Baştürk, Ö., Burdanov, A., Davis, Y. T., de Wit, J., Demory, B.-O., Deveny, S., Dransfield, G., ... Zúñiga-Fernández, S. S. (2025). TOI-7166 b: a habitable zone mini-Neptune planet around a nearby low-mass star. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 544(2), 2637-2652. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staf1807

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title = "TOI-7166 b: a habitable zone mini-Neptune planet around a nearby low-mass star",

abstract = "We present the discovery and validation of TOI-7166 b, a 2.01 ± 0.05 R⊕ planet orbiting a nearby low-mass star. We validated the planet by combining Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite and multicolour high-precision photometric observations from ground-based telescopes, together with spectroscopic data, high-contrast imaging, archival images, and statistical arguments. The host star is an M4-type dwarf at a distance of ∼35 pc from the Sun. It has a mass and a radius of M* = 0.190 ± 0.004 M⨀ and R* = 0.222 ± 0.005 R⨀, respectively. TOI-7166 b has an orbital period of 12.9 d, which places it close to the inner edge of the Habitable Zone of its host star, receiving an insolation flux of Sp = 1.07 ± 0.08 S⊕ and an equilibrium temperature of Teq = 249 ± 5 K (assuming a null Bond albedo). The brightness of the host star makes TOI-7166 a suitable target for radial velocity follow-up to measure the planetary mass and bulk density. Moreover, the physical parameters of the system including the infrared brightness (Kmag = 10.6) of the star and the planet-to-star radius ratio (0.0823 ± 0.0012) make TOI-7166 b an exquisite target for transmission spectroscopic observations with the James Webb Space Telescope, to constrain the exoplanet atmospheric compositions.",

keywords = "exoplanets, stars: low-mass, planets and satellites: detection, stars: late-type, stars: individual",

author = "Khalid Barkaoui and Pozuelos, \{Francisco J\} and Rackham, \{Benjamin V\} and Burgasser, \{Adam J\} and Triaud, \{Amaury H M J\} and Miquel Serra-Ricart and Mathilde Timmermans and Sel{\c c}uk Yal{\c c}ınkaya and Abderahmane Soubkiou and Stassun, \{Keivan G\} and Collins, \{Karen A\} and Amado, \{Pedro J\} and {\"O}zgur Ba{\c s}t{\"u}rk and Artem Burdanov and Davis, \{Yasmin T\} and Julien de Wit and Brice-Olivier Demory and Sarah Deveny and Georgina Dransfield and Elsa Ducrot and Micha{\"e}l Gillon and Chew, \{Yilen G{\'o}mez Maqueo\} and Hooton, \{Matthew J\} and Keith Horne and Howell, \{Steve B\} and Mu{\~n}oz, \{Cl{\`a}udia Jan{\'o}\} and Emmanuel Jehin and Jenkins, \{John M\} and Colin Littlefield and Mart{\'i}n, \{Eduardo L\} and Prajwal Niraula and Pedersen, \{Peter P\} and Dedier Queloz and Scott, \{Madison G\} and Ramotholo Sefako and Avi Shporer and Christopher Stockdale and Emma Softich and Alfredo Sota and Benjamin Tofflemire and {\"O}zlem {\c S}im{\c s}ir and Roberto Varas and Lang, \{Francis Zong\} and Z{\'u}{\~n}iga-Fern{\'a}ndez, \{Sebasti{\'a}n S\}",

year = "2025",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1093/mnras/staf1807",

language = "English",

volume = "544",

pages = "2637--2652",

journal = "Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society",

issn = "0035-8711",

publisher = "SIPRI/Oxford University Press",

number = "2",

}

Barkaoui, K, Pozuelos, FJ, Rackham, BV, Burgasser, AJ, Triaud, AHMJ, Serra-Ricart, M, Timmermans, M, Yalçınkaya, S, Soubkiou, A, Stassun, KG, Collins, KA, Amado, PJ, Baştürk, Ö, Burdanov, A, Davis, YT, de Wit, J, Demory, B-O, Deveny, S, Dransfield, G, Ducrot, E, Gillon, M, Chew, YGM, Hooton, MJ, Horne, K, Howell, SB, Muñoz, CJ, Jehin, E, Jenkins, JM, Littlefield, C, Martín, EL, Niraula, P, Pedersen, PP, Queloz, D, Scott, MG, Sefako, R, Shporer, A, Stockdale, C, Softich, E, Sota, A, Tofflemire, B, Şimşir, Ö, Varas, R, Lang, FZ & Zúñiga-Fernández, SS 2025, 'TOI-7166 b: a habitable zone mini-Neptune planet around a nearby low-mass star', Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, vol. 544, no. 2, pp. 2637-2652. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staf1807

TY - JOUR

T1 - TOI-7166 b

T2 - a habitable zone mini-Neptune planet around a nearby low-mass star

AU - Barkaoui, Khalid

AU - Pozuelos, Francisco J

AU - Rackham, Benjamin V

AU - Burgasser, Adam J

AU - Triaud, Amaury H M J

AU - Serra-Ricart, Miquel

AU - Timmermans, Mathilde

AU - Yalçınkaya, Selçuk

AU - Soubkiou, Abderahmane

AU - Stassun, Keivan G

AU - Collins, Karen A

AU - Amado, Pedro J

AU - Baştürk, Özgur

AU - Burdanov, Artem

AU - Davis, Yasmin T

AU - de Wit, Julien

AU - Demory, Brice-Olivier

AU - Deveny, Sarah

AU - Dransfield, Georgina

AU - Ducrot, Elsa

AU - Gillon, Michaël

AU - Chew, Yilen Gómez Maqueo

AU - Hooton, Matthew J

AU - Horne, Keith

AU - Howell, Steve B

AU - Muñoz, Clàudia Janó

AU - Jehin, Emmanuel

AU - Jenkins, John M

AU - Littlefield, Colin

AU - Martín, Eduardo L

AU - Niraula, Prajwal

AU - Pedersen, Peter P

AU - Queloz, Dedier

AU - Scott, Madison G

AU - Sefako, Ramotholo

AU - Shporer, Avi

AU - Stockdale, Christopher

AU - Softich, Emma

AU - Sota, Alfredo

AU - Tofflemire, Benjamin

AU - Şimşir, Özlem

AU - Varas, Roberto

AU - Lang, Francis Zong

AU - Zúñiga-Fernández, Sebastián S

PY - 2025/12

Y1 - 2025/12

N2 - We present the discovery and validation of TOI-7166 b, a 2.01 ± 0.05 R⊕ planet orbiting a nearby low-mass star. We validated the planet by combining Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite and multicolour high-precision photometric observations from ground-based telescopes, together with spectroscopic data, high-contrast imaging, archival images, and statistical arguments. The host star is an M4-type dwarf at a distance of ∼35 pc from the Sun. It has a mass and a radius of M* = 0.190 ± 0.004 M⨀ and R* = 0.222 ± 0.005 R⨀, respectively. TOI-7166 b has an orbital period of 12.9 d, which places it close to the inner edge of the Habitable Zone of its host star, receiving an insolation flux of Sp = 1.07 ± 0.08 S⊕ and an equilibrium temperature of Teq = 249 ± 5 K (assuming a null Bond albedo). The brightness of the host star makes TOI-7166 a suitable target for radial velocity follow-up to measure the planetary mass and bulk density. Moreover, the physical parameters of the system including the infrared brightness (Kmag = 10.6) of the star and the planet-to-star radius ratio (0.0823 ± 0.0012) make TOI-7166 b an exquisite target for transmission spectroscopic observations with the James Webb Space Telescope, to constrain the exoplanet atmospheric compositions.

AB - We present the discovery and validation of TOI-7166 b, a 2.01 ± 0.05 R⊕ planet orbiting a nearby low-mass star. We validated the planet by combining Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite and multicolour high-precision photometric observations from ground-based telescopes, together with spectroscopic data, high-contrast imaging, archival images, and statistical arguments. The host star is an M4-type dwarf at a distance of ∼35 pc from the Sun. It has a mass and a radius of M* = 0.190 ± 0.004 M⨀ and R* = 0.222 ± 0.005 R⨀, respectively. TOI-7166 b has an orbital period of 12.9 d, which places it close to the inner edge of the Habitable Zone of its host star, receiving an insolation flux of Sp = 1.07 ± 0.08 S⊕ and an equilibrium temperature of Teq = 249 ± 5 K (assuming a null Bond albedo). The brightness of the host star makes TOI-7166 a suitable target for radial velocity follow-up to measure the planetary mass and bulk density. Moreover, the physical parameters of the system including the infrared brightness (Kmag = 10.6) of the star and the planet-to-star radius ratio (0.0823 ± 0.0012) make TOI-7166 b an exquisite target for transmission spectroscopic observations with the James Webb Space Telescope, to constrain the exoplanet atmospheric compositions.

KW - exoplanets

KW - stars: low-mass

KW - planets and satellites: detection

KW - stars: late-type

KW - stars: individual

U2 - 10.1093/mnras/staf1807

DO - 10.1093/mnras/staf1807

M3 - Article

SN - 0035-8711

VL - 544

SP - 2637

EP - 2652

JO - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

JF - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

IS - 2

ER -

TOI-7166 b: a habitable zone mini-Neptune planet around a nearby low-mass star

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Keywords

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Projects

H2020_ERC_BEBOP

Red-Enhanced Cameras to Seek Rocky Planets Transiting Ultra-Cool Dwarfs

Cite this