Phil Plait

Bad Astronomy

Hubble sees baby stars eating sandwiches and blowing bubbles

Being bombarded with so much high-energy radiation does not bode well for HIP 67522 b. The planet is similar in size to Jupiter but has the density of candy floss, making it one of the wispiest exoplanets ever found.

Over time, the radiation carried by the flares is eroding away the planet’s wispy atmosphere, meaning it is losing mass much faster than we thought. In the next 100 million years, HIP 67522 b could go from an almost Jupiter-sized planet to a much smaller Neptune-sized planet.

(Image Credit: 
Janine Fohlmeister (Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam))

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Hubble sees baby stars eating sandwiches and blowing bubbles

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