44 Earths long: Alien planet’s Helium tail reveals a stunning discovery
Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Produced by: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (IPAC)
Cosmic Trail
WASP-69 b, a gas giant, is trailed by a 350,000-mile-long helium tail blown by stellar winds, confirmed through recent observations at the W. M. Keck Observatory.
Alien Winds
The massive tail forms as stellar wind pushes helium and hydrogen escaping from the planet's atmosphere, shaping the gas into a windsock-like structure.
Leaking Atmosphere
WASP-69 b loses 200,000 tons of gas every second due to the intense heat from its nearby star, shedding up to seven Earth masses over its 7-billion-year lifetime.
Tail Discovery
Once speculated but now confirmed, this comet-like tail was revealed in a study published in Astronomy and Astrophysics using precise measurements of the planet’s surroundings.
Scientific Insight
The tail allows scientists to study stellar winds from distant stars, providing clues about their intensity and how they interact with planetary atmospheres.
Dynamic Winds
Without stellar wind, the escaping gas would form a spherical halo around the planet. Increased stellar wind shapes the gas into a dramatic tail, offering insights into planetary evolution.
Representative pic
Evolving Giants
This discovery sheds light on how gas giants like WASP-69 b form, evolve, and lose atmospheric mass over billions of years in extreme conditions near their host stars.
Representative pic
Observational Breakthrough
Lead author Dakotah Tyler from UCLA emphasized how this extended tail reveals the intricate relationship between planets and their stellar environments.
Future Exploration
NASA noted this finding could guide future research into exoplanetary systems, helping scientists understand the atmospheric processes shaping distant worlds.