Chinese scientists discover three surviving exoplanets

A research team led by Professor Qian Shengbang from Yunnan University has identified three exoplanets that have survived the red giant phase of their host stars. The planets, identified as 24 Boo b, HD 12648 b, and TYC 4282-605-1 b, exist in orbits that current evolutionary models suggest should have been destroyed.

When a star exhausts its core hydrogen, it expands into a red giant, increasing its volume by hundreds of thousands or even millions of times. Typically, nearby planets are either swallowed by the expanding atmosphere or pulled into the star by tidal forces. However, these three planets remain in their orbits despite their proximity to the host stars.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), utilized satellite data and stellar asteroseismology to analyze minute changes in stellar brightness. This allowed researchers to confirm that the host stars have already passed the red giant stage and entered the helium-burning phase, known as the red clump stage.