(MENAFN) A multinational group of astronomers, headed by a Turkish researcher, has identified four previously unknown exoplanets. One of these worlds lies within the inner edge of its star’s habitable zone and could possess an atmosphere, situated approximately 90 light-years from Earth.

The discoveries originate from the doctoral research of Turkish PhD student Selcuk Yalcinkaya, who focused on the “discovery and validation of four super-Earth to Neptune-sized planets around M dwarfs.”

His findings were published in the October 2025 edition of Astronomy & Astrophysics, regarded as one of the most esteemed journals in the field.

Currently a research assistant in astronomy and space sciences at Ankara University, Yalcinkaya received funding from the Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Institution (Tubitak) through its “International Research Fellowship Program for PhD Students.” Part of his work was carried out at the University of Liege in Belgium.

The study, carried out with a global team of astronomers that included a Nobel laureate, utilized “the transit and radial velocity methods,” techniques widely employed in the search for planets beyond our solar system.

The four newly detected exoplanets consist of two orbiting the small, cool star TOI-5799, with one each circling TOI-1743 and TOI-6223. The research drew on observations from the AU Kreiken Observatory and the Turkish National Observatory.

Among these, the exoplanet “TOI-5799c” is particularly notable for residing within its star’s habitable zone, despite being 90 light-years from Earth.

Yalcinkaya explained to a news agency that these planets had previously been flagged as exoplanet candidates based on data collected by the TESS Space Telescope, before being confirmed through his team’s analysis.

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