Astronomy
‘Planetary heists’ could include the theft of strange, massive planets from stars.
Strange planets nicknamed BEASTies are unlikely to have formed around their current stars. They may have been stolen from other stars or captured from deep space.
Artist’s impression of a gas giant on a distant orbit around a massive star
Mark Garlick
Giant stars stealing planets from smaller stars could explain why a strange trio of planets are in orbits that they shouldn’t be.
B-type stars are extremely hot stars more than three times as massive as the sun. Astronomers didn’t think they could host planets. Then, in late 2021 and early 2022, a survey called the B-star Exoplanet Abundance Study (BEAST) found three huge planets on wide orbits around B-type stars.
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