Young Exoplanet Spotted Shedding Atmosphere Under Stellar Radiation
NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope have captured a dramatic cosmic event: a baby exoplanet, TOI 1227 b, is being stripped of its atmosphere by powerful X-rays from its host star. Only 8 million years old and orbiting a red dwarf, this Jupiter-sized planet is losing gas at a rate equal to Earth’s entire atmosphere every 200 years. Astronomers believe the planet may eventually shrink into a barren rocky core. The discovery offers a rare, real-time glimpse into atmospheric erosion and shows how intense radiation from young stars plays a key role in shaping the long-term fate of planetary systems.
