London, Dec 22 (ANI): Two newly discovered earth-sized planets that survived getting swallowed in the red-giant expansion of their host star, may shed light on the destiny of our own solar system, a new study has revealed.
Steve Kawaler, an Iowa State University professor of physics and astronomy and a leader of the Kepler Asteroseismic Investigation, helped the research team study data from the Kepler space telescope to confirm that tiny variations of light from a star were actually caused by two planets of that star.
"This is a snapshot of what our solar system might look like after several billion more years of evolution," Kawaler said.
"This can help us learn about the future of planetary systems and of our own sun."
Kawaler said that the researchers have studied pulsations of the planets' host star (KIC 05807616, an old star just past its red-giant state and with an exposed core) for about two years.
While analyzing the data, St?phane Charpinet, lead author and leader of the research team noticed two tiny variations repeated in 5.76 and 8.23 hour intervals.
He asked other astronomers - including Kawaler - to analyze the original Kepler data and a subsequent set of data to see if they could also see the variations.
"We saw them in the same place and the same periodicity," Kawaler said.
"So we knew they were real."
Astronomers believe the variations from the two planets - KOI 55.01 and KOI 55.02 - are caused by reflection of the star's light on the planets and by differences in thermal emissions from the hot day-sides and cooler night-sides of the planets.
The astronomers also report the two planets are 76 percent and 87 percent the size of Earth. That makes them among the smallest planets detected around a star other than our sun.
They further reported that the planets are very close to their host star, only .6 percent and .76 percent the distance between the sun and Earth. That means conditions on the planets are very harsh with temperatures up to 16,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
That is so close the host star's expansion as a red giant would have engulfed the planets, possibly stripping gaseous giants similar to Jupiter down to their dense cores. The planets also could have contributed to the host star's unusual loss of mass.
The research team said that the discovery of the two planets raises many questions about their ability to survive such harsh conditions. It also raises questions about how planets can affect the evolution of their host stars.
The study has been recently published in the journal Nature. (ANI)
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