Stars give tiny planets a gravitational 'squeeze' to strip away their atmospheres

An illustration of a red and yellow run in the top left of the screen. Three worlds are seen toward the right of the screen, two of which have leaking atmospheres.

A scientist has learned more about the violent processes that rip atmospheres away from planets, finding that squashing and squeezing by a parent star can contribute to this process.

The research, conducted by Guo Jianheng from the Yunnan Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, could help astronomers better determine which extrasolar planets, or "exoplanets," to look at more closely as they expand their search for life beyond the solar system.