Astronomers have discovered a planet that raises questions about the existence of a group of planets known as hot Neptune and the future of Earth.
The planet in question is named TIC365102760 b, but it has been nicknamed the “Phoenix” due to its ability to maintain an atmosphere despite its proximity to its host star.
TIC365102760 b is located approximately six times closer to its central star than Mercury is to the Sun. The central star is a red giant, indicating it is in the next stage of evolution for stars like our Sun, according to a report published in the journal The Astrophysical Journal.
Simulation image of TIC365102760 b. (Photo: JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY).
Being so close to its host star makes the planet extremely hot. The intense heat and continuous rainfall from the central star should have stripped the planet of its atmosphere.
TIC365102760 b is 6.2 times larger than Earth, placing it in the category of Neptune-like planets. Astronomers have observed many larger and younger planets losing their atmospheres due to their proximity to their host stars.
However, TIC365102760 b appears to be an exception.
“This planet is not developing in the way we predicted; it still has a large atmosphere, albeit thinner than expected,” said Sam Grunblatt, the report’s author from Johns Hopkins University. According to him, it remains unclear why TIC365102760 b has managed to retain its atmosphere.
The TESS telescope of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was the first instrument to discover the “Phoenix” planet. The Keck Observatory continues to explore further characteristics of this planet.
“This is the smallest planet we have ever discovered near one of the red giants, and it may be the lowest mass planet“, according to expert Grunblatt.
The atmosphere-stripping process on the “Phoenix” planet is happening very slowly, and it is likely that the atmosphere will still exist when the planet’s demise occurs.
Over time, red giants can expand by tens of millions of kilometers, affecting the orbits of surrounding planets. During this process, the planet could be engulfed by its host star and destroyed. This is the fate awaiting the “Phoenix” planet in about 100 million years.
This could also be the fate of Earth. In approximately 5 billion years, the Sun will expand and “swallow” Mercury, Venus, and likely even Earth.
