Planet Devoured by Its Star at an Alarming Rate

Key Takeaways

1. TOI 1227 b is a young exoplanet, only 8 million years old, making it the second-youngest transiting planet detected.
2. The planet’s atmosphere is being stripped away by intense X-rays from its star, causing it to appear “puffed up.”
3. The planet’s mass is likely closer to that of Neptune, despite its large appearance similar to Jupiter.
4. The X-ray bombardment strips away an amount of mass equal to one Earth atmosphere every 200 years.
5. In about a billion years, TOI 1227 b is expected to lose its atmosphere completely, shrinking to a lifeless rock.

Astronomers from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory have observed a young exoplanet undergoing a dramatic change. The planet, called TOI 1227 b, is experiencing its atmosphere being slowly stripped away due to a relentless stream of X-rays from the star it orbits.

A Disturbing Transformation

This intense exposure to radiation has caused the atmosphere of the planet to expand, making it appear “puffed up” like Jupiter, even though its mass is probably closer to that of Neptune.

“It’s hard to comprehend the scale of devastation this planet is facing. The atmosphere just can’t hold up against the intense X-ray bombardment from its star,” said Attila Varga from the Rochester Institute of Technology, who was in charge of the study.

Age and Orbits

TOI 1227 b is only 8 million years old, which is about 625 times younger than Earth, marking it as the second-youngest transiting planet ever detected. It orbits a red dwarf star located roughly 330 light-years away at a very close range — less than a fifth of the distance from Mercury to our Sun. While the star is cooler than the Sun when seen in visible light, it shines brightly in X-ray wavelengths.

The Grim Future Ahead

The research team has worked out that the X-ray bombardment from the star strips away an amount of mass equal to one Earth atmosphere approximately every 200 years. “The outlook for this young planet is not very promising,” said Alexander Binks, a co-author from the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen. The study suggests that in about a billion years, the planet will completely lose its atmosphere and shrink to about a tenth of its current size, ultimately becoming a small, lifeless rock with no chance of supporting life.

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