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Tuesday, January 10, 2023

Kepler Planet Doomed?

Space musings based on new devices and findings.

Is The first planet found by the Kepler space telescope is doomed?

Every year, the planet inches closer to its star

Like the giant planet illustrated here, the planet Kepler 1658b is on a slow death spiral into its sun.

By Lisa Grossman    December 18 2022 in Science News

The first planet ever spotted by the Kepler space telescope is falling into its star.

Kepler launched in 2009 on a mission to find exoplanets by watching them cross in front of their stars. The first potential planet the telescope spotted was initially dismissed as a false alarm, but in 2019 astronomer Ashley Chontos and colleagues proved it was real (SN: 3/5/19). The planet was officially named Kepler 1658b.

Now, Chontos and others have determined Kepler 1658b’s fate. “It is tragically spiraling into its host star,” says Chontos, now at Princeton University. The planet has roughly 2.5 million years left before it faces a fiery death. “It will ultimately end up being engulfed. Death by star.” ... ' 

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