Artist’s impression of the hottest know exoplanet, Kelt-9b. Kelt-9 is a hot, A-type star with a temperature almost twice that of the Sun. Astronomers have found an extrasolar planet orbiting this star at such close proximity that it completes an orbit in a mere 36 hours. This means that the planet is hotter, at around 4600 Kelvin, than the majority of stars. The relentless radiation from the star is evaporating the planet at a phenomenal rate. Ten billion grams of matter are stripped away from the planet every second, forming a comet-like tail behind it. |