Astronomers have found the first clear evidence of a planet triggering flares on its host star. Using data from NASA’s TESS and ESA’s CHEOPS space telescopes, an international team led by ASTRON and the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP) observed powerful bursts of energy from the young star HIP 67522—coinciding with the orbit of its closely orbiting planet.
The planet, a hot giant orbiting the star every seven days, appears to ignite stellar flares through magnetic interactions each time it passes in front of the star. These flares not only reveal a new kind of star–planet connection, but may also help explain the planet’s puffed-up atmosphere, as later confirmed by JWST observations. This breakthrough offers new insight into how planets can influence their stars—and opens a fresh window into the evolution of planetary systems.
Read full press release from ASTRON.
Image: Clingy planets can trigger own doom, suspect Cheops and TESS. Credits: ESA