Listen again · In Conversation
A Possible Planet Around a Dead Star October 7, 2026 · 3:39 · With Maya and Nora
We’re looking at a possible planet around a star that has reached the end of its life. NASA says a new analysis of old Hubble observations points to a possible planet orbiting a white dwarf called HS 0209+0832.
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Maya You’re listening to Slow English FM. I’m Maya. Welcome. Nora covers science and the environment. We’re looking at a possible planet around a star that has reached the end of its life. Maya NASA says a new analysis of old Hubble observations points to a possible planet orbiting a white dwarf called HS 0209+0832. Nora, what makes this finding stand out? Nora The proposed planet may have formed after the star changed and shed its outer layers. That would make it a second-generation planet: a planet formed from material left over after the star’s earlier planetary system changed. But this is still a candidate, not a confirmed discovery. Maya Let’s clarify the setting. What is a white dwarf, and what happened to this star? Nora A white dwarf is the dense remnant core of a star that has used up its nuclear fuel and lost its outer layers of gas and dust. NASA describes HS 0209+0832 as a white dwarf. The proposed planet may have formed from material expelled as the star died. Maya What clue led researchers to consider a planet formed in that way? Nora NASA says researchers found an unusually high amount of niobium in archived Hubble observations. Niobium is a chemical element. The team also confirmed the niobium signal using data from FUSE, a NASA mission that has since ended. That chemical clue helped point to the possible second-generation planet. Maya So the chemical signal is part of the case, but it does not by itself confirm a planet. What other evidence is there? Nora NASA reports that its TESS satellite detected regular changes in the white dwarf’s brightness. Those changes indicate that the candidate planet orbits about 3.7 million miles, or 6 million kilometers, from the star. The observations add evidence for a planet, but NASA still describes it as a possibility. Maya NASA also gives an estimate of the candidate’s size and says it is losing its atmosphere. What does the research suggest? Nora The research team estimates that it is a gas giant about the size of Jupiter. NASA says it is rapidly losing its atmosphere because the white dwarf is still very hot. That gives us a picture of a large planet close to a hot stellar remnant, but it remains a proposed explanation, not a confirmed world. Maya And why does the possibility of a second-generation planet matter? Nora The NASA account raises the possibility that planets could form from material left after a star’s earlier planetary system changes. In this case, the clues come from the chemical signal, the brightness changes, and the team’s analysis of the star. The key point is that the planet has not been confirmed. This is an interpretation of the evidence reported by NASA, rather than proof that such planets are common. Maya Nora, thank you. And thanks to you for listening to Slow English FM. I’m Maya. Goodbye.
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