” While studying data from NASA’s Kepler spacecraft on the oscillations of the star KIC 05807616, a highly evolved red dwarf star in the Cygnus constellation located 3,850 light-years away from Earth, Charpinet noticed that the star’s light varied by 0.005% with periodicities of 5.76 and 8.23 hours. He provided an explanation, stating, “These variations are too slow compared to the star’s oscillations. Therefore, the most plausible explanation is that there are two planets orbiting this star.”
Astronomers also revealed that these two planets are 24% and 13% smaller than Earth, with distances from their parent star, KIC 058076162, at 897,000 and 1,137 million kilometers respectively. This makes them the smallest exoplanets moving in the orbit of an active star rather than the Sun, and the closest planets to their parent star, KIC 05807616. Furthermore, they are also the hottest planets, with their illuminated hemispheres reaching temperatures of 7,700-8,700°C, while Venus, the hottest planet in our solar system, has a surface temperature of only 470°C.
Astronomers believe that these two planets were once massive gas giants engulfed by their parent star, KIC 05807616, as it evolved into a red giant star. Once inside the star’s envelope, the gaseous envelopes surrounding these planets were stripped of heavy metals and minerals.
Their existence even caused changes in the nature of their parent star, such as pushing out most of its envelope. Charpinet further explains, “These two planets move in a spiral motion towards the center of the parent star due to tidal and atmospheric friction. Then, some of their attractive energy will cause the parent star’s envelope to expand, rotate faster, and thus potentially be expelled by stellar winds.”