Host Stars Blast Away Atmospheres Of Hot Super-Earth Planets

Scientists have found a new class of planets whose atmospheres are shown to have been stripped away by their host stars.

Planets that are close to their host stars tend to undergo high-energy radiation, which incinerates the atmosphere around it.

To take a closer look at the planets, scientists used asteroseismology to search for levels of accuracy which could help researchers to understand the conditions of the rocky planet without an atmosphere.

"For these planets, it is like standing next to a hairdryer turned up to its hottest setting," said Guy Davies of the University of Birmingham's School of Physics and Astronomy. "There has been much theoretical speculation that such planets might be stripped of their atmospheres. We now have the observational evidence to confirm this, which removes any lingering doubts over the theory."

Planets of a certain size may have been much bigger in the beginning of their evolution. Being close to their stars tends to strip away a lot of their enveloping air and material, making them shrink and get smaller with time.

As Kepler has about 1,000 confirmed planets, scientists can identify and characterize them while hunting for life on other planets. Understanding how to identify them can help researchers rule them out as centers for life. A new generation of satellites, including the NASA Tess Mission, which will be launched next year, will help scientists in their mission.

The findings were published in the April edition of the journal Nature Communications.