Jupiter-Sized Planet Survives Star's Death, Then Has Audacity to Be Hotter Than Expected

Astronomers have confirmed that WD 1856 b, a Jupiter-size planet orbiting a white dwarf, is the only known planet to have survived the death of a Sun-like star. Using the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers found that the planet is shrouded in aerosol hazes, contains methane, and emits roughly 25 times more energy than it receives from its cooling host star. This heat suggests the planet was reheated by gravitational interactions with companion stars billions of years after the star died, rather than being engulfed during the red giant phase. The white dwarf is about seven times smaller than its planet, leading to a grazing transit that dips the star's brightness by only half. The system, located just 75 light-years away, challenges existing models of planetary survival and migration.