Astronomers probe 'evaporating' planet around nearby star with Hobby-Eberly telescope
Thursday, May 31, 2012 - 17:20
in Astronomy & Space
(Phys.org) -- Astronomers from The University of Texas at Austin and Wesleyan University have used the Hobby-Eberly Telescope at UT Austins McDonald Observatory to confirm that a Jupiter-size planet in a nearby solar system is dissolving, albeit excruciatingly slowly, because of interactions with its parent star. Their findings could help astronomers better understand star-planet interactions in other star systems that might involve life.