California (Web Desk): Chinese scientists have discovered 3 planets outside the solar system that survived even after their host stars evolved into red giants, despite existing scientific theories suggesting that the planets should have been engulfed by their stars.
The discovery was made by a research team led by Professor Qian Shengbang of Yunnan University in China. The study examined 3 planets named 24 Boo, HD 12648 and TYC 4282-605-1.
According to experts, when hydrogen in a star’s core is exhausted, the star expands and becomes a red giant, potentially increasing its size by millions of times. During this process, nearby planets are either swallowed by the star or destroyed by its gravitational pull.
However, all 3 newly discovered planets remain in their orbits despite being located in the danger zone. Researchers confirmed the evolutionary state of their host stars by analysing slight changes in their light.
According to Professor Qian Shengbang, the discovery of 3 such planets at the same time is no mere coincidence but points to a common physical process. The findings open up new possibilities for further research into existing scientific theories about the evolution of planets and stars.