Science and Technology News

Phoenix Planet Discovery

October 9 , 2026 13 hrs 0 min 20 0

Astronomers identified a candidate second-generation planet orbiting the white dwarf HS 0209+0832.
The planet is called a “phoenix planet” because it may have formed from material released by the dying star.
The white dwarf’s atmosphere contains zinc, copper and niobium at levels more than 1,000 times higher than the Sun, linked to the s-process (slow neutron-capture process).
The candidate is estimated to be Jupiter-sized and has an orbital period of about 4.4 Earth days.
A white dwarf is the dense remnant of a star that has exhausted its nuclear fuel and shed its outer layers.