The researchers believe the planet was much further away from its host star and migrated closer after the star evolved. It continues to cool for billions of years.įinding an intact planet in such a close orbit around a white dwarf raises questions about how it got there, and how it survived the star's evolution into a white dwarf. For example, when our sun becomes a red giant billions of years from now, it will likely engulf Mercury and Venus - and perhaps Earth.Īfter the star loses its atmosphere, all that remains is the collapsed core - the white dwarf. Red giants burn through their hydrogen fuel and expand, consuming any planets near their path. The study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.Ī white dwarf is what remains after a sun-like star swells up to a red giant during the star's evolution. This dying star is located 80 light-years from Earth in the Draco constellation. By comparison, Mercury is the closest planet to the sun in our solar system and takes 90 days to complete one orbit around the sun. This giant exoplanet zips around the star remnant, which is about the size of Earth, in a very close orbit every 34 hours. This exoplanet, a planet outside of our solar system, is the size of Jupiter and it's known as WD 1586 b. For the first time, a planet has been discovered orbiting a white dwarf, also known as a dead star.
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