11th Jan 12
Newly discovered planets are roasted remains
by Sally Davies
To infinity and beyond: quest to find more planets continues
To infinity and beyond: quest to find more planets continues
Shortly after reporting on the first Earth-size planets ever to be detected outside of our Solar System, researchers have also discovered the existence of two even smaller planets.
However, there is something very peculiar about these objects. They appear to be the burnt remains of planets that have spent some time inside the exterior layers of their star.
Scientists say that these planets are, as a result, very likely to have been much larger in the past. These planets were identified with data from the Kepler telescope, which Nasa put into orbit in 2009 with the goal of uncovering small planets.
This latest discovery was made around a star referred to as KIC 05807616. These objects have diameters just 87% and 76% of that of Earth. Interestingly enough, this star is a so-called “hot B subdwarf” – a former red giant.
“Red giant” is a late phase during a star’s life once it has started exhausting its hydrogen fuel. A star in this later phase will start expanding, with its outer layers cooling down and its hue glowing to a more reddish colour.
The Sun in our solar system will go through this later phase in a few billion years as well. But the result is that all planets orbiting relatively near the star will likely be swallowed up in its expanding cloud of gas.
This process will happen to Earth, as it appears to have happened to the newly detected planets named KOI 55.02 and KOI 55.01, which spin around their star in just a few hours. The planets’ presence so close to its star, KIC 05807616, suggests quite a lot for what probably happened to them.
Entering the expanding outer layers of a dying star would have critically eroded the planets, shredding any liquid or gaseous material. The scientists say that the data are probably just showing the remnant cores of former giant gas planets similar to our own Jupiter.
According to lead researcher Stephane Charpinet at Toulouse University in France, the details are still uncertain and would require a lot of modeling. He said that, due to tidal dissipation and friction, the engulfed worlds must have spun in even deeper into the star, and, in the process, their volatile layers were probably evaporated or ripped off by the friction.
Furthermore, the star’s envelope may have expanded even further and perhaps accelerated its rotation cause by the inward motion of the planets.
Our Stories
- Sandwich labels misleading shoppers
- Unemployment drops unexpectedly but worse still to come
- Tesco store managers see annual bonuses cut
- Royal Mail: half London sorting office to be sold
- Panasonic announces £3.4bn loss
- Thomas Cook attacks government over holidays at home promotion
- Clinton Cards falls into administration
- Wet April sees high street spending fall
- Five tough years ahead for UK jobs market
- Deal struck to save Thomas Cook
- Discount battle leads to sales decline at Morrisons
- Wetherspoon founder: pubs plans to be hit by taxes
Popular Topics
afghanistan al qaeda amazon Apple ASDA bank of england barack obama BBC british airways china david cameron Debenhams Egypt facebook george osborne Google India ipad iphone ivory coast japan Libya London M&S Marks & Spencer Morrisons nhs North Korea Office for National Statistics pakistan protests russia Sainsbury’s South Korea terrorism Tesco Tunisia UK UK retailers UK retail news UK shopping us Waitrose Wikileaks x factorArchive
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- January 2009
