Giant exoplanet produces its own energy through nuclear fusion reaction

space observatory of the European Space Agency (ESA), Gaiadiscovered exoplanet undergoing nuclear fusion. searched from HD 206893cThe world outside the Solar System is about 500 million kilometers from its star, which is 130 light-years from Earth and about 30% larger than our Sun.

THEM gas giant distant, it is 12.7 times the mass of Jupiter and takes 5.7 years to complete its orbit. It was first identified in 2022 when scientists at the University of Exeter (UK) observed that the host star’s light was blocked as the then-candidate planet passed in front of it – a method known as direct image detection.

Its presence in the system has been confirmed by data from the Very Large Telescope (VLT), the world’s largest set of telescopes located in Chile. This series of observations made it possible to analyze the light spectrum in the planet’s atmosphere. As HD 206893 c got brighter, the team concluded that its interior was undergoing a fusion reaction that could produce its own energy by burning deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen that carries a neutron.

The discovery highlights the ability of the Gaia spacecraft and other modern instruments to find planets far beyond the Solar System, including accurately mapping the position, motions and luminosity of many stars.

It will also help astronomers better characterize different types of distant celestial bodies and gather more information about the origin, structure and evolution of our galaxy.