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Astronomers find a Planet that Shouldn’t Exist

A "hot Jupiter" exoplanet named Halla may have orbited two stars at one time. Interactions between the two stars may have helped Halla survive a stellar outburst.
A “hot Jupiter” exoplanet named Halla may have orbited two stars at one time. Interactions between the two stars may have helped Halla survive a stellar outburst. Adam Makarenko/W.M. Keck Observatory

When our sun reaches the end of its life, it will expand to 100 times its current size, enveloping the Earth. Many planets in other solar systems face a similar doom as their host stars grow old. But not all hope is lost, as astronomers from the University of HawaiÊ»i Institute for Astronomy (UH IfA) have made the remarkable discovery of a planet’s survival after what should have been certain demise at the hands of its sun.

The Jupiter-like planet 8 UMi b, officially named Halla, orbits the red giant star Baekdu (8 UMi) at only half the distance separating the Earth and the sun...

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