A gigantic planet named Halla has unexpectedly appeared around the star Bakedu, which has recently flared up into a red giant and was supposed to have swallowed this planet.
According to The Independent, this is a Jupiter-like giant planet called Halla, discovered as scientists observed the phase when Bakedu expanded into a red giant star.
Stars in the universe—like our Sun—when they run out of energy, flare up one last time into a red giant, expanding to about 1.5 times their previous size. After this, they will collapse into a small white dwarf.
Graphic depiction of the existence of the “zombie” planet Halla – (Photo: HAWAII ASTRONOMY INSTITUTE).
During the final flare-up, stars can consume several nearby planets. It is predicted that our Sun will swallow three nearby planets: Mercury, Venus, and Earth.
However, around Bakedu, scientists from the University of Hawaii (USA) have observed Halla, which appeared just after the red giant flare reached its peak and began to fade, in the region of space that Bakedu had previously entirely occupied at its largest size.
The latest observations confirm that the planet still rotates in a stable orbit for over a decade, coexisting with its mother star that is attempting to consume it.
Scientists still do not fully understand why Halla has survived. One possibility is that it was once orbiting at a greater distance before the red giant flare event, only to slowly move inward afterward. However, that possibility is quite low.
The second possibility is that Halla was formed from the collision of two stars, creating a gas cloud from which Halla formed. Therefore, Halla could be a “zombie” of one of the two dead stars rather than being from Bakedu.
Alternatively, it may simply have survived the red giant disaster. This could offer a glimmer of hope for the future of Earth.
