Astronomers Potentially Discover Exoplanet in Habitable Zone of Hottest Known Star
Astronomers have potentially discovered a giant exoplanet, dubbed HD 156295 b, located in the habitable zone of HD 156295, which is currently the hottest known star to potentially host such a planet. The star, situated 140 light-years from Earth, is twice the size and nine times more luminous than our Sun, with a surface temperature of 13,500 degrees Fahrenheit. The research, published in the Astrophysical Journal, involved poring over 16,500 Delta Scuti stars using NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). The team narrowed down the search to nine star systems and employed a detection method called pulsation timing, which measures variations in the star's light to identify gravitational pulls from orbiting bodies. While the existence of HD 156295 b is currently theoretical, with a probability of just over 50%, its potential discovery marks a significant step in the search for exoplanets.
