WASP-69b’s Giant Gas Tail Surprises Astronomers with Massive Atmospheric Loss

Photo byPhoto by NASA Hubble Space Telescope on Unsplash

Astronomers are intrigued by the gas giant exoplanet WASP-69b due to the unusually long trail of gas it is leaving behind, approximately seven times longer than its radius. Situated close to its star, the planet's atmosphere is stripped away by the intense radiation from the stellar wind, creating this distinctive tail. Led by researchers from UCLA, observations from the WM Keck Observatory in Hawaii and high-resolution spectrograph readings confirmed the presence of this extended tail and revealed the loss of hydrogen and helium in significant amounts.

The data collected provides valuable insights into the interactions between planets and stars, offering a rare opportunity to study atmospheric mass loss in real time. Despite being known for over a decade, WASP-69b continues to surprise scientists. As a hot Jupiter planet, it completes an orbit in less than four Earth days and remains stable despite its massive tail. With a reservoir of material 90 times the mass of Earth, WASP-69b is not at risk of losing its entire atmosphere within the star's lifetime, ensuring its continued study and fascination for astronomers seeking to understand the dynamics of exoplanetary atmospheres.