{
  "id": 3564354,
  "title": "Astronomers discover hot watery exoplanet destined to be swallowed by its star",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/astronomers-discover-hot-watery-exoplanet-destined-to-be-swallowed-by",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-26T18:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Space.com",
    "slug": "space-com",
    "url": "https://www.space.com/astronomy/exoplanets/astronomers-discover-hot-watery-exoplanet-destined-to-be-swallowed-by-its-star"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Scientists have uncovered a fascinating ocean planet that exists in close proximity to its parent star, in the HD 176071 system, located around 335 light-years from Earth. This exoplanet, named HD 176071 b, is an approximate 50% water world, and experiences extreme tidal forces from its star which may eventually lead to its destruction. The planet is a rare example of a \"hot water world,\" as it resides in what scientists refer to as the \"Neptunian Desert,\" a term coined for the absence of Neptune-sized planets near their host stars. This is largely due to intense stellar radiation stripping away the gas layers of these planets, leaving them smaller than Neptune. Despite this, HD 176071 b still maintains a dynamic atmosphere, with dense, reflective clouds forming and moving across its coldest edges, as observed through a six-year comparison of Kepler space telescope data and TESS observations.\n\nThe planet was initially discovered through an innovative technique, as it does not transit its star from Earth's perspective, making it difficult to detect using the traditional transit method. Instead, the researchers used the reflected starlight to detect and characterize the planet's atmosphere and structure, thanks to the precision measurements obtained with the HARPS-N instrument on the Galileo National Telescope. This breakthrough in discovery demonstrates the advanced capabilities of current astronomy techniques in studying exoplanets that were previously inaccessible. The findings have been published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.",
  "summary": "A newly discovered water dominated exoplanet is in hot-water literally and figuratively, it orbits so close to its parent star it is headed to a fatal collision that will see it devoured.",
  "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."
}