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Planet potentially found in habitable zone of hottest known star
New York Post • • science
Key Points:
- Astronomers have potentially discovered a giant, habitable-zone planet, HD 156295 b, orbiting the hottest known star, HD 156295, which is twice the size of the Sun and has a surface temperature of 13,500°F.
- The star is located 140 light-years from Earth and is visible to the naked eye due to its brightness, being nine times more luminous than the Sun.
- HD 156295 b is a gas giant estimated to be six times larger than Jupiter, orbiting its star every 2,200 days at about four times the Earth-Sun distance, making it unlikely to support life as we know it.
- The discovery was made by analyzing 16,500 Delta Scuti stars using NASA’s TESS and employing pulsation timing to detect irregularities in the star’s light caused by a potential planet.
- The existence of HD 156295 b remains theoretical with just over a 50% probability, but if confirmed, it would be the hottest star known to host a planet in its habitable zone, a rare find among exoplanets orbiting hot A-class stars.
