{
  "id": 12344810,
  "title": "A dying star may have birthed a planet right before it croaked",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/a-dying-star-may-have-birthed-a-planet-right-before-it-croaked",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-06T09:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Mashable",
    "slug": "mashable",
    "url": "https://mashable.com/science/white-dwarf-births-second-generation-planet"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Recent observations suggest a massive Jupiter-sized planet may have formed from a dying star's gas and dust expelled during its death throes. Astronomers spotted signs of such a planet orbiting a white dwarf called HS 0209+0832, the leftover core of a medium-sized star after it exhausted its nuclear fuel. While no observatory has captured the planet itself, using data from NASA's Hubble and TESS telescopes, researchers built a strong case for its existence. The discovery, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, contradicts astronomers' expectations for dead stars. Traditionally, scientists believed dead stars would swell into red giants, engulfing nearby planets, and marking the end of their planetary systems. However, this research indicates that stars like our sun could give rise to new generations of planets after death. The presence of niobium in the white dwarf's composition, typically formed late in a star's life, indicates the star's demise and the expulsion of its outer layers. If this planet indeed exists, it could broaden the search for life beyond our solar system. White dwarfs, about the size of Earth, allow for easier detection of orbiting planets' atmospheres, potentially revealing signs of life with the James Webb Space Telescope. Despite the planet's rapidly eroding atmosphere, the white dwarf's eventual cooling could provide a stable habitable zone for millions of years, making this newfound planetary system an intriguing prospect for future exploration.",
  "summary": "Can new planets form after a star dies? NASA's Hubble data show rare niobium at a white dwarf, hinting it may host a gas giant.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}