Article title: « Mystery of the cosmos: this planet should have been blown away by its star »
The article discusses a recent study published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society about the planet K2-229b, which orbits a red dwarf star. According to the study, the planet should have been blown away by the star’s strong stellar wind, but it has not.
The researchers used data from the K2 mission, which observed the planet passing in front of its star, to determine its mass and density. The planet has a mass of about six times that of Earth and a density of about five times that of water, suggesting a rocky composition. However, given its proximity to its star (only about 1.6 million kilometers away), the planet should have been stripped of its atmosphere and then blown away by the star’s stellar wind.
To explain this mystery, the researchers propose that the planet may have a strong magnetic field that protects its atmosphere from being stripped away. However, this scenario is still speculative, and further observations and simulations are needed to confirm it.
Answer to the article:
The article reports on a recent study that found that the planet K2-229b, which orbits a red dwarf star, should have been blown away by the star’s strong stellar wind, but it has not. The researchers suggest that the planet may have a strong magnetic field that protects its atmosphere. However, this scenario is still speculative, and further observations and simulations are needed to confirm it.