An international team of astronomers discovered an extremely rare exoplanet named TIC365102760 b. This world miraculously maintains its atmosphere despite the constant and deadly radiation from a nearby star.
According to all known laws, the intense radiation from the parent star should turn the exoplanet into bare rock. However, contrary to expectations, it retained its “inflated” atmosphere.
The fact of the existence of this exoplanet prompts scientists to revise their ideas about the evolution and death of planets in extreme conditions. The researchers even gave her the nickname “Phoenix” in honor of the mythical bird that is reborn from the ashes every time.
Studies have shown that TIC365102760 b is able to withstand powerful energy attacks from the star. Its radiation should completely destroy the planet’s atmosphere, but this does not happen.
“This planet is not behaving as we expected,” said Sam Gruenblatt, an astrophysicist at Johns Hopkins University. – “It appears that its atmosphere is much larger and less dense than we expected for similar systems. How it maintains its atmosphere while being so close to the star remains a mystery.”
Grünblatt explained that the planet belongs to the rare category of “hot Neptunes”. She turned out to be smaller, older and hotter than expected. This world is 6.2 times the size of Earth and orbits its star every 4.2 days, being about six times closer to its star than Mercury is to the Sun.
In addition, the planet turned out to be 60 times less dense than any of the known “hot Neptunes”. Astronomers believe that its existence will last a little more than 100 million years, after which it will spiral into its giant star and be absorbed.
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News agencies contributed to this report, edited and published by ORDO News editors.
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