2023-07-08 06:00:00
Halla, may have orbited two stars, just like the famous planet Tatooine in the Star Wars movie. Joana Campos Meteored Portugal 08/07/2023 08:00 4 min
By becoming a red giant, the star expands so much that it consumes all nearby planets. It was once thought that no planet might survive this transition.
The planet in question is called Halla, or 8 Ursa Minoris b. It orbits a dying red giant star more than 500 light-years from Earth. Surprisingly, Halla managed to avoid being swallowed by its expanding host star.
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How did Halla escape a red giant?
Dr. Ben Montet, a scientist involved in this study, was surprised by this phenomenon because, according to general opinion, this planet should have been absorbed by its star. Halla was discovered in 2015 and has remained in a stable orbit around its star for more than a decade.
The star, called Baekdu, is in a phase of life where it burns helium in its core, a phase that normally occurs following a star has expanded and swallowed up nearby planets. However, Halla, which revolves around Baekdu, survived, making it an extraordinary anomaly in space.
Halla’s discovery raises some fascinating questions. How this planet survived when it should have been destroyed by its host star in expansion ? Are there other surviving planets?
Researchers have several theories as to why Halla survived. One of them is that Baekdu was a separate star.
It’s possible that two stars merged into one and that this event altered the star’s expansion process, thus saving Halla. On the other hand, Halla might be a “second generation” planet, formed from the cloud of gas created when the two stars collided.
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Scientists have also noticed that Baekdu’s atmosphere contains a large amount of lithium. This is unusual for an older red giant. Could this fact be related to Halla’s survival? The team thinks it might be a clue, but she’s not quite sure.
Halla was a surprising discovery. Scientists will continue to search for more surprises as they explore the depths of our universe.
Whatever the reason for Halla’s survival, this is a fascinating discovery. It shows us that all the planets close to their star are not doomed when it reaches the red giant stage.
It also opens the door to the possibility that there is other “surviving” planets somewhere.
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