Scientists have uncovered a groundbreaking discovery that offers a glimpse into what might happen to our solar system in the distant future. A new exoplanet, roughly 1.9 times the size of Earth, was identified orbiting a white dwarf star, as reported by ScienceAlert. This finding gives scientists clues about what could eventually occur when our Sun transitions into a white dwarf.
The planet appears to have endured the harsh aftermath of its star's red giant phase, a violent period in stellar evolution. This discovery sheds light on how planets might evolve and survive under extreme conditions. White dwarfs are remnants of stars, like our Sun, that have exhausted their fuel after the red giant phase. The research, spearheaded by Keming Zhang from the University of California, explores how planets endure this turbulent stage, broadening our knowledge of planetary endurance and development.
Zhang explained to ScienceAlert that the simplest interpretation is that this planet managed to survive despite the destructive forces of its host star’s red giant phase.
Interestingly, the exoplanet was detected using microlensing, a rare event where a white dwarf's gravity magnified light from a background star by more than 1,000 times, allowing researchers to gain a clear picture of the system's structure. Through this method, they not only confirmed the size and orbit of this Earth-like exoplanet but also identified a massive brown dwarf, about 30 times the mass of Jupiter, orbiting the same white dwarf.
