HIP 67522 b

HIP 67522 b : Recently, scientists discovered a planet, HIP 67522 b that is not only being affected by its star but is also causing the star to release powerful flares.

o These flares are so strong that they could eventually destroy the planet itself.

• About HIP 67522 b : A gas giant about the size of Jupiter. It orbits a young star called HIP 67522, located about 408 light-years away in the Scorpius-Centaurus star cluster, which is just 17 million years old.

o The planet orbits very close—only 12 times the star’s radius—making it vulnerable to intense activity from the star.

o As HIP 67522 b orbits, it disturbs the star’s magnetic field, triggering flares much stronger than anything seen from our Sun.

o These flares are thousands of times more energetic than solar flares and strike the planet regularly—every day or two.

• Self-Destructive Impact: The radiation from the flares is stripping away the planet’s atmosphere.

o Scientists estimate that HIP 67522 b could shrink from the size of Jupiter to Neptune within 100 million years.

• First Confirmed Case: This is the first time astronomers have found solid evidence of a planet directly influencing stellar flares, a theory that was long suggested but not previously observed.