Scientists cannot answer exactly why Hala survived
Manoa, USA02 July 2023, 22:51 2282 read 0 comments
Scientists from the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA, have discovered an “impossible” exoplanet that has survived extreme conditions, CNN reported.
The exoplanet, called 8 UMi b or Halla, is 520 light-years from Earth. It orbits a red giant-type star that is larger than the Sun and is located in the Ursa Minor constellation.
The star has reached a late stage in its evolution and its envelope has expanded into the surrounding space. Such celestial bodies are also characterized by increased luminosity and intense stellar winds.
It is believed that when a star becomes a red giant, the planets around it die. Researchers assume that the same fate awaits the planets in the solar system in a few billion years. Hala, despite her proximity to the dangerous luminary, has managed to survive.
Observations show that the distance between the Jupiter-like exoplanet and the star is half that between Earth and the Sun.
Scientists cannot answer exactly why Hala survived. One theory is that the system originally contained two stars. The merging of the luminaries may have prevented them from expanding enough to engulf the planet.
Another version states that Hala is too young. It was born from a cloud of gas formed when two stars collided, and was simply not affected by the catastrophic events. According to a third theory, the exoplanet initially orbited much further away from the star, but later moved closer to it.
The study of the unusual planet will allow scientists to better imagine not only the future of the solar system, but also the processes of planet formation in binary star systems, its authors write in the journal “Nature”.
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2023-07-02 19:51:01
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