Eclipse‑timing finds many circumbinary planets

Researchers used precise timing of eclipsing binary stars (apsidal precession) in NASA TESS data to identify 36 binaries with unexplained third‑body effects, 27 of which could be planet‑mass, ranging from Neptune size to ~10× Jupiter. The candidates lie 650–18,000 light years away and need spectral follow‑up to confirm whether they are planets, brown dwarfs or low‑mass stars. — If confirmed, this substantially raises the count of circumbinary planets and implies planets around binary stars may be far more common than the small sample suggested, affecting estimates of habitable worlds and detection strategies.