New Study Reveals Evaporating Exoplanet WASP-69b Forms Vapor Tail
Planets are often known for their distinct seasonal patterns, but for some, it seems that summer never ends. One such planet is WASP-69b, a hot Jupiter located close to its parent star. Telescopes have recently discovered that WASP-69b is dragging a vapor tail approximately 56 kilometers long, a staggering seven times longer than the planet itself.
The discovery of exoplanets has been a significant area of exploration for scientists over the past 30 years, with over 5,000 confirmed exoplanets so far. These planets come in a variety of types, from hot Earths to hot Jupiters, but it’s puzzling that there are no hot Neptunes and a lack of planets with sizes falling in between super-Earths and mini-Neptunes.
A new paper studying the evaporating exoplanet WASP-69b may provide important clues to these mysteries. Researchers have found that WASP-69b is so close to its parent star that its atmosphere experiences radiation erosion, causing the planet to lose mass at a rate of 200,000 tons per second.
Although the planet is facing extreme conditions, it appears to be surprisingly resilient. Researchers have determined that WASP-69b, despite losing mass, still has sufficient reserves to survive and will not completely lose its atmosphere in the near future.
The research, conducted using the 10-meter telescope and NIRSPEC spectrograph of the Keck Observatory, reveals new insights into the formation of the vapor tail of WASP-69b. This discovery challenges previous assumptions about the impact of extreme radiation and stellar winds on exoplanets, opening up new possibilities for understanding the resilience of these distant worlds.
The study, which has been published in The Astrophysical Journal, offers a deeper understanding of the complex dynamics at play in the atmospheres of exoplanets and provides hope that these distant worlds may be more adaptable than previously thought.