Scientists discover new class of planet– Exoplanets ‘cooked’ by their stars

Astronomers have identified a new class of planets located outside our solar system that have had their atmosphere stripped away by radiation streaming off their host stars, according to a new report in the journal Nature Communications.

Study researchers found exoplanets with gaseous atmospheres that orbit very close to their host stars are bombarded by a torrent of high-energy radiation. Due to their proximity to the star, the heat the planets suffer means causes their ‘envelopes’ to be blown away by intense radiation. This violent ‘stripping’ occurs in planets that are comprised of a rocky core with a gaseous outer layer.

New findings with added precision

The researchers used asteroseismology to define the stars and their planets to degrees of precision not seen before for these systems. Asteroseismology uses the resonances of stars to reveal their outer attributes and inner makeup.

The outcomes of the study have essential implications for learning how solar systems develop as time passes and the important role performed by the host star.

“For these planets it is like standing next to a hairdryer turned up to its hottest setting,” study author Guy Davies, from the University of Birmingham’s School of Physics and Astronomy, said in a news release. “There has been much theoretical speculation that such planets might be stripped of their atmospheres. We now have the observational evidence to confirm this, which removes any lingering doubts over the theory.

“Our results show that planets of a certain size that lie close to their stars are likely to have been much larger at the beginning of their lives,” he added. “Those planets will have looked very different.”

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Image credit: Peter Devine

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