Astronomers discover potential ‘big planet’ orbiting dead star that could support life for at least 1 billion years in the future

It turns out stars like our Sun don’t need to be alive and strong to support life on planets orbiting them. Scientists have discovered a “giant planet” that could orbit a waning sun and could support life for future generations.

The “amazing” discovery was made by researchers at University College London when they observed a white dwarf, the burning remains of a star that had run out of hydrogen. It is about 117 light years away from us. This star, known as WD1054-226, has a ring of planetary rocks in its habitable orbital zone, also known as the Goldilocks zone, where temperatures would allow the planet to have space for liquid water on its surface it’s.

If the new planet turns out to be a habitable world, it would be the first time a habitable planet has been identified around a dying sun.

Jay Farihi, lead author of the study and professor at UCL Physics and Astronomy, said: “The moon-sized structures we observed were irregular and dusty (e.g. comets) rather than solid and spherical objects. ” described the structures as a “mystery that we cannot explain”, but suggested a possible and “unexpected” explanation: a nearby planet.

He said: ” “An interesting possibility is that these bodies are kept in an equidistant orbital pattern due to the gravitational influence of a nearby planet. Without this influence, friction and collisions would cause the structures to scattered, losing the observed regularity and precision.The precedent for this “shepherd” is that the gravity of the moons around Neptune and Saturn helps create stable ring structures orbiting these planets. We are not looking for that. »

The idea of a “major planet” in the star’s habitable zone is thrilling, but he emphasises that such a planet has yet to be proven. Farihi stated that his team still requires further proof, which may be tough to get due to the inability to directly view the planet. To gain a clearer explanation, they may have to depend on computer models along with additional observations of the star and its circling debris.

The team anticipates that, if a planet exists, it was just recently formed — and that it would be habitable for at least 2 billion years, including at least 1 billion years in the future.

Their finding may also aid scientists in developing a better knowledge of our solar system, as more than 95% of all stars, including our sun, will ultimately become white dwarfs.