Sharmila Kuthunur is a Seattle-based science journalist covering astronomy, astrophysics and space exploration. Follow her on X @skuthunur
A newly discovered planet in a faraway star system appears to be erupting with so many volcanoes, it glows a fiery red when seen from space. No planet like this has ever been observed before, researchers say, and follow-up observations will be required to confirm the strange world's existence.
"This means the planet literally glows at optical wavelengths," Stephen Kane, an astrophysicist at the University of California, Riverside who led the discovery, told Universe Today."It was one of those discovery moments that you think, 'wow, it's amazing this can actually exist," he added in a statement.
It's possible that light from background stars mimics telltale signatures of the flaming orb seen by TESS. However, if the presence of TOI-6713.01 is confirmed with follow-up observations, it could be an interesting target to study the extreme tidal effects experienced by planets. Such dynamics haven't been a focus of exoplanet research so far, Kane said.
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