Hidden Gems in <i>TESS</i> : <tt>SHERLOCK</tt> finds two new rocky planets around nearby M dwarfs
Abstract The Hidden Gems project searches the TESS data for additional planets transiting low-mass stars in confirmed systems. Our goal is to identify planet candidates that are below the detection threshold set by the SPOC and QLP pipelines using SHERLOCK , a specialized pipeline for robust detection and vetting of transit signals in TESS data. We present the discovery of two inner rocky planets in the TOI-237 and TOI-4336 A systems, validated with ground-based photometry from the TRAPPIST, SPECULOOS, ExTrA, and LCO facilities. TOI-237 c has a radius of 1.21 ± 0.04R⊕, orbits its mid-M host star every 1.74 days, and is close to a 3:1 mean-motion resonance with TOI-237 b. TOI-4336 A c has a radius of 1.17 ± 0.06R⊕, and orbits with a period of 7.58 days an M3.5 host star which is part of a hierarchical triple system. We performed model comparison to search for non-zero eccentricities, and found that the circular transit models are statistically favored. Dynamical simulations show that both systems are in stable configurations, and the TTVs expected for the TOI-237 system are of the order of seconds. TOI-237 c and TOI-4336 A c join the high-interest population of warm likely super-Earths below the so-called ”radius valley”. In particular, TOI-237 c is a good candidate for phase curve observations with JWST/MIRI thanks to the small radius of the host star and its short period.
Authors
- Benjamin V. Rackham (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3627-1676)
- M. Gillon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1462-7739)
- Akihiko Fukui (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4909-5763)
- Adam J. Burgasser (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6523-9536)
- Khalid Barkaoui (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1464-9276)
- Bárbara Rojas-Ayala (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0149-1302)
- M. G. Scott (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3846-4558)
- E Ducrot
- R P Schwarz
- M Dévora-Pajares
- B-O Demory
- M Ghachoui
- G Dransfield
- N Narita
- G Srdoc
- Y Gómez Maqueo Chew
- Z Way
- F J Pozuelos
- A H M J Triaud (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5510-8751)
- S Yalçınkaya
- M Timmermans
- X Bonfils
- S B Howell
- Y T Davis
- E Jehin
- K A Collins
- J M Almenara (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3208-9815)
- P P Pedersen
Institutions
- University of Geneva (CH)
- University of Bern (CH)
- Cadi Ayyad University (MA)
- Ames Research Center (US)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Planetary Science Institute (US)
- Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (US)
- University of Liège (BE)
- Universidad Autónoma de la Ciudad de México (MX)
- Délégation Paris 7 (FR)
- Universidad de Granada (ES)
- Georgia State University (US)
- University of Tarapacá (CL)
- Université Paris Cité (FR)
- Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (FR)
- Université Paris-Saclay (FR)
- Observatoire de Paris (FR)
- Northeast Catholic College (US)
- Pulkovo Observatory (RU)
- ETH Zurich (CH)
- University of California San Diego (US)
- Sorbonne Université (FR)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Astrophysique, Instrumentation et Modélisation (FR)
- Astrobiology Center (JP)
- Laboratoire d’études spatiales et d’instrumentation en astrophysique (FR)
- Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian (US)
- Institute of Applied Physics (MD)
- CEA Paris-Saclay (FR)
- Av Engineering (Czechia) (CZ)
- Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (ES)
- Tokyo Metropolitan Komaba High School (JP)
- Astronomy and Space (AU)
- Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (ES)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
- The University of Tokyo (JP)
- University of Birmingham (GB)
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (MX)
- Université Grenoble Alpes (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Published
- 2026-04-15
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stag710
- Primary Topic
- Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00