Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), directly observing two distant alien planets “spilling their guts into space” as they rapidly disintegrate. The rare event offers an unprecedented glimpse into the interiors of planets beyond our solar system.
The first exoplanet, K2-22b, is a Neptune-size rocky world that orbits its star so closely, completing an orbit in just nine hours. Its surface reaches temperatures of over 3,320 degrees Fahrenheit (1,826 degrees Celsius), making it one of the hottest known planets. Recent observations revealed the evaporated rock has been sculpted into a comet-like tail.
Another disintegrating exoplanet, BD+054868Ab, was discovered by a separate team using the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). This planet is losing about a moon’s worth of material every million years and will cease to exist in 1-2 million years. The rate at which it evaporates is considered “utterly cataclysmic.”
The JWST study allowed scientists to analyze the composition of these planets, revealing unusual gases like carbon dioxide and nitric oxide. These findings suggest that K2-22b may have formed farther from its star and migrated inward due to gravitational perturbations.
The discovery of these disintegrating exoplanets provides a unique opportunity to understand terrestrial planet interiors and the formation of planetary systems.
Source: https://www.livescience.com/space/exoplanets/utterly-cataclysmic-james-webb-telescope-spots-2-alien-planets-disintegrating-before-our-eyes