Remember TOI-2535 b, the exoplanet that suddenly disappeared after years of NASA tracking?
Astronomers just figured out what happened: another hidden planet nearby pulled on TOI-2535 b with its gravity, tilting its orbit so we can't see it cross its star anymore.
Astronomers' discovery challenges planet migration theories
TOI-2535 b is a hot Jupiter about 1,000 light-years away that used to orbit its star every 8.25 days, but started acting unpredictably, sometimes showing up early or late.
Samuel Yee from UCLA called this a rare example of planets tugging each other into wild orbits.
This discovery challenges old ideas about how planets move around and could help scientists rethink how other exoplanets form and migrate.