A giant planet around 500 light-years away has mysteriously avoided being engulfed by its dying host star, baffling astronomers worldwide. Known as 8 Ursae Minoris b, the planet is slightly larger than Jupiter and takes around 94 days to orbit its star.
Normally a planet close to its host star – about half the distance between Earth and the sun – would be consumed when the star expands into a red giant and begins the process of dying. However, 8 Ursae Minoris b continues to exist, much to the surprise of scientists.
Dr Dimitri Veras, an astrophysicist at the University of Warwick, said: “The distance between the Earth and its star, the sun, is 1 astronomical unit, or 1 au. 8 Ursae Minoris b is orbiting its star at 0.5 au.
