"Unprecedented Atmospheric Loss Plagues a Dying Planet"

Scientists have observed a distant exoplanet, HAT-P-32b, losing vast quantities of helium from its upper atmosphere. The planet's close proximity to its host star causes it to be bombarded with high levels of radiation, resulting in the streaming of hydrogen and helium gases away from the planet. The observations revealed that HAT-P-32b has both leading and trailing tails of gas, making it the first extrasolar planet known to have this feature. The rate of helium escape from the planet is estimated to be over 1 trillion kilograms per second, significantly higher than Earth's atmosphere. Despite the rapid loss, it would take well over a billion years for HAT-P-32b to completely lose its atmosphere.