Closest ocean world on a fatal orbit: exoplanet set to be swallowed by its star
Astronomers have identified HD 176071 b, a water-rich exoplanet about 2.5 times Earth’s size (roughly 50% water) that orbits extremely close to its star, completing a 14-hour year at about 335 light-years away. Intense tidal forces keep the tidally locked world on a rapid, inexorable path toward being torn apart and swallowed by its host star. Detected not by transit but by tiny fluctuations in starlight reflected from the planet using HARPS-N, the discovery challenges expectations about Neptune-sized planets near stars (the Neptunian Desert) and demonstrates how non-transiting exoplanets can be characterized through reflected light and atmospheric dynamics. The work was published in Astronomy & Astrophysics and showcases new methods for studying distant worlds.