Unusual gas planet smaller than Neptune and 23 times more massive than Earth is found

An exoplanet 23 times denser than Earth has been spotted orbiting a distant star 54 light-years away. The planet orbit the star HD 21749 which lies in the faint constellation Reticulum It was identified by TESS -NASA's leading mission to identify exoplanets - alongside two other worlds. An unconfirmed sighting of a smaller, Earth-sized world was also found orbiting a star every 8 days but experts are yet to find conclusive evidence 'This planet has a greater density than Neptune, but it isn't rocky. Two other planet's spotted by TESS have been labelled LHS 3884b and Pi Mensae c. Pi Mensae c is roughly twice Earth's size and can be seen in the Mensa constellation with the naked eye. It is roughly 60 light-years away from Earth and orbits its Sun-sized star every six days The other discovery - is named LHS 3884b - is smaller than the other two and is only 30 per cent larger than Earth 'In contrast, the new planet, called Pi Mensae c, has a circular orbit close to the star, and these orbital differences will prove key to understanding how this unusual system formed.'