Astronomers have discovered a planet that is on a collision course with its sun, potentially providing insight into how Earth may eventually meet its end. The exoplanet Kepler-1658b, located 2,600 light years away, is classified as a "hot Jupiter" and is being studied by a team of researchers in the hopes of understanding how planets die as their stars age. The findings were published in a study on Monday.
Kepler-1658 b is a large exoplanet located outside of our solar system that orbits an F-type star. It is classified as a gas giant, similar in size to Jupiter, but it is much closer to its host star than Jupiter is to the Sun.
This proximity results in Kepler-1658b being much hotter than Jupiter. It takes about 3.8 days for the planet to complete one orbit around its star and it is about 0.0544 astronomical units (AU) away from its star, which is about 1/8th of the distance between the Sun and Mercury. The planet was discovered in 2019 and is known for its close orbit and hot temperatures.
Spiraling Planet and Its Evolved Star
According to Shreyas Vissapragada, the lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, if Kepler-1658 b continues on its current trajectory, it will collide with its star within three million years. The researchers have observed the planet's movement and determined that it is spiraling toward its star at a steady rate.
Vissapragada also mentioned that this is the first time that direct evidence of a planet spiraling toward its evolved star has been observed. An evolved star has entered the "subgiant" phase of its life cycle, during which it expands and becomes brighter. The researchers believe that Kepler-1658 b's orbit is being shortened by the tides, similar to how Earth's oceans rise and fall every day.
This gravitational interaction can occur in both directions; for example, the Moon is slowly moving away from Earth due to this effect. By studying Kepler-1658 b, the researchers hope to gain insight into how planets and their stars interact and evolve.
Earth's Uncertain Fate
Based on the research from the Center for Astrophysics, many planets are likely to meet their end by colliding with their star, and this could potentially be the fate of Earth billions of years in the future as the Sun ages. Vissapragada notes that in about five billion years, the Sun will transform into a red giant star. While the tidal forces acting on Kepler-1658 b are causing its orbit to decay and bring it closer to its star, this process could be counteracted on Earth by the Sun losing mass.
However, it is important to note that the ultimate fate of the Earth and the Sun is not yet certain and will depend on various factors. Vissapragada also stated that the ultimate fate of the Earth is somewhat uncertain and will depend on various factors. Kepler-1658 b was the first exoplanet ever observed by the Kepler space telescope, which was launched in 2009.
Even though it took nearly a decade of work to confirm the existence of the planet, which was announced in 2019. During this time, astronomers were able to observe the gradual changes in the planet's orbit as it passed in front of its host star. One surprising discovery was that the planet itself is quite bright, which was previously thought to be due to its high reflectivity.
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