NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has reported that a baby planet, known as TOI 1227 b, is shrinking from the size of Jupiter to a small, barren world due to its host star emitting powerful X-rays. This planet, located about 330 light-years away from Earth, is extremely young at just 8 million years old, making it one of the youngest observed exoplanets. Researchers predict that TOI 1227 b will lose its thick atmosphere within a billion years, ultimately shedding a mass equal to about two Earth masses.
Attila Varga, a Ph.D. student at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in New York, who led the study, expressed astonishment at the planet’s rapid transformation, stating that the atmosphere cannot withstand the intense X-ray radiation from the star. Unfortunately, due to its proximity to the star, TOI 1227 b is deemed uninhabitable both now and in the future. The star itself, TOI 1227, is much smaller in size compared to our Sun, indicating a challenging environment for potential life on this shrinking exoplanet.
Original Source: NASA