"However, the planet itself is actually larger than Earth and a little bit smaller than Neptune – we could call it a sub-Neptune.".
Prior research suggests that planets with such a low temperature could have clouds in their atmosphere."TOI-1231 b is one of the only other planets we know of in a similar size and temperature range, so future observations of this new planet will let us determine just how common (or rare) it is for water clouds to form around these temperate worlds," Burt said.It's moving away from Earth at such a high speed that researchers can easily detect hydrogen atoms escaping from its atmosphere — like a tail trailing behind the planet.
"They're full of planets between the size of Earth and Neptune on orbits much shorter than Mercury's, so we don't have any local examples to compare them to."