Astronomers think there’s a planet shaped like an egg that’s moving towards its star really fast, according to Space.com.
This planet is called WASP-12b. But don’t get too excited because it’s not going to last long. Once it crashes into its star, it’s going to break apart. And now, a new paper that hasn’t been checked by other scientists yet says it might happen even sooner than we thought.
Previous estimates suggested that WASP-12b had about 10 million years before it got destroyed by its star. But new research from Italy’s University of Padova says it might happen much sooner – in just three million years.
Pietro Leonardi, the lead scientist of the study, explained to Space.com, “Our calculations show that the planet will crash into the star in just three million years. That’s a really short time, considering the star looks like it’s only three billion years old.” (Even though three million years seems long to us, in space terms, it’s really quick.)
According to Space.com, Leonardi and his team reached their conclusions by studying 28 different observations of WASP-12b passing in front of its star. They used data collected by the Asiago Observatory in Italy over 12 years, from 2010 to 2022.
Discovered in 2009, WASP-12b is located about 1,200 lightyears away from Earth in the Auriga constellation. It’s about twice the size of Jupiter and classified as an “ultra-hot Jupiter” because it’s a very hot gas giant. WASP-12b has a surface temperature of around 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit and orbits incredibly close to its star.
To give you an idea, Earth is about 93 million miles from the Sun. WASP-12b is only 2.1 million miles away from its star, completing a full orbit in just one day. This closeness also explains why WASP-12b has an egg-like shape, as the strong gravitational forces it experiences have distorted its gas.
But like everything else, WASP-12b won’t last forever. So, while it’s still there, let’s appreciate the fact that a huge gas egg is circling a faraway star. And when WASP-12b eventually meets its fiery end? Well, maybe have an egg to comfort you during that time.
