Mass Loss Leaves Close-In Exoplanets Exposed to the Core
Tuesday, April 21, 2009 - 17:35
in Astronomy & Space
(PhysOrg.com) -- An international team of scientists has found that giant exoplanets orbiting very close to their stars could lose a quarter of their mass during their lifetime. The team found that planets that orbit closer than 2% of an Astronomical Unit (AU), the distance between the Earth and the Sun, may lose their atmospheres completely, leaving just their core.