So, there’s this exoplanet out there that’s turning some heads among astronomers. It’s got this wild atmosphere that’s managing to hold its own against the intense radiation blasting from a giant red star nearby.
Scientists at Johns Hopkins University stumbled upon this enigmatic world that was expected to lose its atmosphere due to the star’s radiation. But surprise! Instead of getting stripped bare, it developed this airy, less dense layer.
They’ve affectionately named this planet the “Phoenix” for its sheer resilience in the face of extreme conditions. This discovery has sparked debates among scientists on how other planets might adapt in similarly harsh environments.
In about 5 billion years, our friendly neighborhood star, the Sun, will bid its final farewell as a red giant, swallowing up poor Earth in its expanding embrace.
Now, according to current predictions, as the Sun goes big and red, it’s likely to strip away Earth’s atmosphere before gobbling it up entirely.
This new study hints that Earth might have a few surprises up its sleeve. Who knows, we might just make it through the Sun’s initial cosmic munching and puff up ourselves. It’s a bit of a plot twist for the models predicting Earth’s atmospheric fate.
The discovery of the Phoenix was made possible by TESS and W.M. Keck Observatory telescopes. This oddball planet, about 6.2 times bigger than Earth, whizzes around its radiant red giant parent star every 4.2 days.
The researchers behind the Phoenix believe it’s not long for this universe, likely to spiral into the red giant in less than 100 million years.
Described as a “hot Neptune,” the Phoenix shares similarities with our solar system‘s icy outermost planet, Neptune, despite being way hotter. It’s like Mercury being closer to the Sun than it is to its star.
These puffy planets are a rarity, characterized by a lower density due to their gas, ice, and light materials makeup. They are few and far between, making them a real gem in the cosmic haystack, with only about 1% of all stars hosting one.
The Phoenix’s lower density and high temperatures may be the key to its survival against its star’s radiation onslaught, as the atmosphere likely got stripped at a surprisingly slower pace than previously thought.
As Grunblatt puts it, “Hot Jupiters and Neptunes are quite the elusive bunch due to the unrelenting radiation from their host stars, but this find just throws a curveball in our observations.”
The study’s complete findings can be explored in The Astronomical Journal.