1/14/2024 0 Comments Red telescope fishScientists believe that gas giants like hot Jupiter exoplanets begin by orbiting at a greater distance from their host stars before eventually migrating closer. Now, astronomers are trying to determine if it’s possible that the planet could withstand such a cataclysmic stellar event. “The observations from multiple telescopes on Maunakea were critical in this process.” Marc Hon, astronomer and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hawaii, in a statement. “Together, these observations confirmed the existence of Halla, leaving us with the compelling question of how the planet survived,” said lead study author Dr. The additional observations revealed that the planet’s nearly circular orbit, which takes 93 Earth days to complete, had remained stable for more than a decade. Webb telescope detects mysterious water vapor in a nearby star system However, they caution that while this might be a sign of a planetary atmosphere, the water could be on the star itself - specifically, in cool starspots - and not from the planet at all. By observing GJ 486 b transit in front of its star, astronomers sought signs of an atmosphere. This artist concept represents the rocky exoplanet GJ 486 b, which orbits a red dwarf star that is only 26 light-years away in the constellation Virgo. Keck Observatory and the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii. When the research team realized the star was likely once larger than the current orbit of the planet, they carried out follow-up observations in 20 using the W. Astronomers are still investigating how planets form around these double-star systems - and the fate of those planets, as well. While our solar system only has one star, many stars across the universe exist in binary pairs. Our sun is expected to reach the end of its lifespan in 5 billion years, when it will expand to 100 times its current size and likely engulf and obliterate Earth and other planets in the solar system. “As it exhausted its core hydrogen fuel, the star would have inflated up to 1.5 times the planet’s current orbital distance - engulfing it completely in the process - before shrinking to its current size.” Dan Huber, Australian Research Council Future Fellow at the University of Sydney and associate professor at the Institute for Astronomy of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, in a statement. When we realised that Halla had managed to survive in the immediate vicinity of its giant star, it was a complete surprise,” said study coauthor Dr. “Engulfment by a star normally has catastrophic consequences for close orbiting planets. The revelation suggests to astronomers that the star once expanded into a red giant star. The team’s observations revealed that the star is burning through the supply of helium at its core, since it already appears to have exhausted its hydrogen. Observations of Baekdu were made using NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, which studies nearby stars. A study detailing the findings published Wednesday in the journal Nature. Chris Smith (KRBwyle)/NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterĮarth-size exoplanet may be covered in volcanoesĪstronomers believe that Halla somehow survived after its star experienced a violent transition that should have destroyed nearby planets. The volcanically active planet, which is a similar size to Earth, was discovered by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. An artists's conception shows planet LP 791-18d.
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