An international team of astronomers has announced the discovery of a doomed world: an exoplanet that will soon be destroyed by the gravity of its star. It was discovered as a result of analyzing data collected by the TESS telescope.
The doomed exoplanet has been named TOI-2431 b. It orbits an orange dwarf star located 117 light-years from Earth. Its orbital period is only 5 hours and 22 minutes, which is close to the record.
With a mass 6.2 times greater than that of Earth, TOI-2431 b’s radius exceeds the radius of our planet by only 50%. This indicates its turbulent past. Most likely, the exoplanet was once much larger and had an atmosphere. However, due to its proximity to the star, the gas envelope was completely blown away, leaving only the core, whose surface is molten due to intense radiation. According to calculations, the temperature of its illuminated side is 1700 °C.
The short orbital period also suggests that the exoplanet is subject to strong tidal interaction with its star, causing it to deform. Most likely, it has an elongated shape and resembles an ellipsoid in appearance.
However, the most intriguing aspect of this exoplanet is its impending destruction. The radius of TOI-2431 b’s orbit is only 30% greater than the Roche limit. At the same time, tidal interactions not only deform the exoplanet, but also dissipate orbital energy, leading to a gradual spiral motion toward its host star. When TOI-2431 b crosses the Roche limit, powerful gravity will tear it apart. This will happen very soon. Calculations show that TOI-2431 b will pass the point of no return in just 31 million years, which is almost an instant in astronomical terms.
According to the author of the discovery, a distant world such as TOI-2431 b may seem insignificant to us. But it reminds us once again how lucky humanity is to have this planet, and how amazing Earth and all its life forms are.
Earlier, we reported on how astronomers found an exoplanet hiding in the “fog” around a star.
According to Phys.org
