Baby planet discovered by Nasa is shrinking. Its atmosphere is melting

Astronomers have observed an unusual cosmic change — a young exoplanet diminishing right in front of us.

A recent study utilizing NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory reveals that the planet TOI 1227 b is shedding its dense atmosphere due to constant bombardment from the intense X-rays emitted by its parent star.

Situated approximately 330 light-years away from Earth, TOI 1227 b revolves around a red dwarf star at a very close range — merely one-fifth of the distance that Mercury circles the Sun. This close orbit renders it particularly susceptible to the star’s intense radiation.

At an estimated age of only 8 million years, TOI 1227 b ranks among the youngest exoplanets detected, a veritable “infant” next to Earth’s 5-billion-year-old history. His team discovered that TOI 1227 b is losing its atmosphere so quickly that it might relinquish nearly two Earth masses in the coming billion years — shrinking in size and possibly transforming into a desolate, rocky core.

At present, TOI 1227 b has a mass comparable to Neptune but is three times wider in diameter, resulting in a bloated, Jupiter-like look. According to researchers, the persistent X-ray radiation from its red dwarf star, TOI 1227, is believed to drive this inflation. Although TOI 1227 is relatively small, it produces X-rays at a higher intensity than our Sun. The planet is thought to shed the equivalent of one Earth atmosphere in mass approximately every 200 years.

Researchers claim that the harsh conditions render the planet uninhabitable for life, both now and in the future, since it is located far outside the “habitable zone” where liquid water might be present.

Published in a journal, the study provides crucial insights into the influence of extreme stellar conditions on the development of young exoplanets and may clarify why certain planets shed their atmospheres early on.