Strange Exoplanet Offers Clues About Our Solar System's Future

WHO:

CNN - Dr. Christopher O’Connor, coauthor of the study, is a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University’s Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics.

CNN - Victoria Boehm, a graduate student in the department of astronomy at Cornell University, is a coauthor of the study.

CNN - Dr. Ryan MacDonald, lead author of the study, is a lecturer in extrasolar planets at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

CNN - Dr. Caroline Morley, an associate professor in the department of astronomy at the University of Texas at Austin, commented on the study.

CNN - Dr. Ian Crossfield, an associate professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Kansas, was part of the team that discovered WD 1856 b in 2020.

WHAT:

CNN - Astronomers detected a Jupiter-size planet, WD 1856 b, in 2020.

CNN - WD 1856 b is seven times larger than its Earth-size star and completes one orbit around the dead star every 34 hours.

CNN - The planet is located 80 light-years from Earth and is less than 2 million miles (3 million kilometers) from its host star.

CNN - The planet's mass is estimated to be between four and 11 times that of Jupiter.

CNN - The temperature of WD 1856 b is about 260 degrees Fahrenheit (127 degrees Celsius).

CNN - The study suggests that the planet's heating occurred about 1 billion years ago.

WHERE:

CNN - WD 1856 b is located 80 light-years from Earth.

WHEN:

CNN - The sun is expected to swell into a red giant in about 5 billion years.

CNN - The sun will transition into a white dwarf about a billion years after the red giant stage ends.

WHY:

CNN - The findings may serve as a preview of the fate that may await our solar system’s largest planets when the sun dies.

CNN - The study aims to understand how giant planets can survive the violent death of their host stars.

HOW:

CNN - The team used the James Webb Space Telescope to capture observations of WD 1856 b and measure its atmosphere, mass, and temperature.

CNN - The researchers combined new measurements with models of how giant planets like Jupiter and Saturn cool over time.

CNN - The study presents two competing theories about how WD 1856 b ended up in its current orbit: the "engulfment model" and the "gravitational interaction model."

(UPDATED July 2, 2026 23:29 UTC)

Astronomers have made significant strides in understanding WD 1856 b, a Jupiter-size planet located 80 light-years from Earth, which was first detected in 2020 and is estimated to be between four and 11 times the mass of Jupiter. The team, led by Dr. Ryan MacDonald from the University of St. Andrews and including researchers from institutions like Northwestern University and Cornell University, utilized the James Webb Space Telescope to analyze the planet's atmosphere, mass, and temperature, revealing it reaches around 260 degrees Fahrenheit. Their findings suggest that the planet's heating occurred about 1 billion years ago and may provide insights into the fate of our solar system's largest planets when the sun transitions into a red giant in roughly 5 billion years.