HD 21520 b: a warm sub-Neptune transiting a bright G dwarf

Abstract

We report the discovery and validation of HD 21520 b, a transiting planet found with TESS and orbiting a bright G dwarf (V=9.2, Teff = 5871 ± 62 K, R⋆ = 1.04 ± 0.02 R⊙). HD 21520 b was originally alerted as a system (TOI-4320) consisting of two planet candidates with periods of 703.6 and 46.4 days. However, our analysis supports instead a single-planet system with an orbital period of 25.1292 ± 0.0001 days and radius of 2.70 ± 0.09 R⊕. Three full transits in sectors 4, 30 and 31 match this period and have transit depths and durations in agreement with each other, as does a partial transit in sector 3. We also observe transits using CHEOPS and LCOGT. SOAR and Gemini high-resolution imaging do not indicate the presence of any nearby companions, and Minerva-Australis and CORALIE radial velocities rule out an on-target spectroscopic binary. Additionally, we use ESPRESSO radial velocities to obtain a tentative mass measurement of $7.9^{+3.2}_{-3.0}\, M_{\hbox{$\oplus $}}$, with a 3-σ upper limit of 17.7 M⊕. Due to the bright nature of its host and likely significant gas envelope of the planet, HD 21520 b is a promising candidate for further mass measurements and for atmospheric characterization.