News Planetary Science

Survivor: Extrasolar planet escapes stellar attack

By Ron Cowen

- More than 2 years ago

From the sizzling outer atmosphere of a sunlike star to the chilly surroundings of a dark, stellar cinder, extrasolar planets keep turning up in the darndest places.

ENDURANCE. A recently discovered planet has withstood the swelling of its aging parent star, which expanded nearly to 1 astronomical unit, the size of Earth’s orbit (top). The star has since shrunk, and the planet has migrated about 70 percent farther from its parent (bottom).