Skip to playerSkip to main content
  • 2 months ago
Astronomers have discovered a massive gas giant exoplanet called WASP-69b that is leaving behind a huge comet-like tail stretching nearly 350,000 miles into space.

Located 160 light-years from Earth, this hot Jupiter orbits extremely close to its star, causing intense stellar winds to strip away its atmosphere. Using the powerful Keck Telescope in Hawaii, scientists observed hydrogen and helium escaping from the planet in real time.

This rare discovery helps researchers understand how stars interact with nearby planets and how planetary atmospheres evolve. The findings were published in The Astrophysical Journal and provide a unique glimpse into atmospheric loss happening right now.

Category

🤖
Tech
Transcript
00:00Astronomers have discovered a massive exoplanet with a huge, comet-like tail.
00:06The planet is called WASP69b, a gas giant similar in size to Jupiter.
00:15This planet is located about 160 lighters away from Earth.
00:21WASP69b is leaving behind a tail of gas that stretches nearly 350,000 miles.
00:29The tail is about seven times longer than the planet's own radius.
00:34Scientists believe this tail is made from the planet's escaping atmosphere.
00:39WASP69b orbits extremely close to its parent star.
00:46Because of this closeness, powerful stellar winds hit the planet constantly.
00:52These stellar winds are stripping hydrogen and helium from the planet's atmosphere.
00:57The escaping gas forms a long, glowing trail behind the planet.
01:03Earlier studies suggested only weak atmospheric loss or no visible tail.
01:08New observations have now clearly confirmed the existence of this massive tail.
01:14The discovery was led by researchers from UCLA.
01:18Observations were made using the 10-meter Keck telescope in Hawaii.
01:22Scientists used a high-resolution spectrograph to study light changes.
01:28This allowed them to track the motion and composition of the escaping gas.
01:33The team observed how the gas interacts with the star's radiation.
01:37WASP69b is classified as a hot Jupiter exoplanet.
01:43It completes one full orbit around its star in less than four Earth days.
01:48This system allows scientists to study atmospheric loss in real time.
01:53Most exoplanets lost their atmospheres long ago.
01:56WASP69b is special because this process is still happening.
02:02Despite losing gas, the planet is not in danger of disappearing.
02:08WASP69b is about 90 times more massive than Earth.
02:16It has a huge reserve of atmospheric material.
02:20The star will die before the planet loses all its atmosphere.
02:24This discovery helps scientists understand how planets evolve.
02:28It also explains how stars affect nearby planets.
02:32Even after 10 years, WASP69b still holds many secrets.
02:41The research has been published in the Astrophysical Journal.
02:44Theicoid Journal
02:46The Air 2.
02:513.
02:542.
02:552.
02:561.
02:572.
02:583.
02:594.
03:005.
03:016.
03:026.
03:034.
03:041.
03:057.
03:067.
03:078.
03:088.
03:098.
03:105.
03:119.
03:126.
03:137.
Comments

Recommended