Scientists Discover New Planet 35 Times Bigger Than Earth

Astronomers have discovered a massive new exoplanet in a distant star system—Kepler-139 f, a planet estimated to be 35 times the size of Earth. While not directly visible through conventional methods, the planet’s presence was confirmed using gravitational effects on neighbouring planets.

Kepler-139 f is roughly 0.595 times the size of Jupiter but has an estimated mass 36 times that of Earth. It completes one orbit around its star in approximately 355 days, making its orbital distance very similar to Earth’s—about 1.006 AU (astronomical units) from its host star.

Interestingly, Kepler-139 f does not transit its star, meaning it doesn’t pass directly in front of it from our point of view, making it invisible to typical transit detection methods. Instead, scientists identified it through a technique called Transit Timing Variations (TTV) combined with Radial Velocity data. These methods allowed them to detect gravitational disturbances caused by Kepler-139 f on nearby transiting planets, revealing its hidden presence.

Though Kepler-139 f is likely a Neptune-like gas giant, meaning it’s not habitable, its discovery offers important insights into the dynamics, architecture, and evolution of planetary systems. It also highlights how unseen outer planets can significantly influence the orbits and transit visibility of inner planets.