NASA's Hubble Telescope Discovers An 'Evaporating' Planet

Researchers at the University of Geneva Switzerland have used NASA's Hubble telescope to find an exoplanet that's evaporating. The exoplanet, GJ 3470b, shows signs of losing hydrogen in its atmosphere, causing it to shrink. USA Today reports: The study is part of exploration into 'hot Neptunes,' planets that are the size of Neptune, sit very close to their star, and have atmospheres as hot at 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit, says NASA. Finding a 'hot Neptune' is rare because they sit so close to their star and tend to evaporate more quickly. In the case of GJ 3470b, scientists classify it as a 'warmer' Neptune because it sits farther away from its star. The exoplanet discovered by astronauts is losing its atmosphere at a rate 100 times faster than a previous 'warmer' Neptune planet discovered a few years before, according to a study published Thursday in the journal 'Astronomy & Astrophysics.' The planet sits 3.7 million miles from its star. For comparison, Earth is 92.9 million miles from the sun. Researchers say these 'hot Neptune' planets shrink in size and morph into 'Super Earths,' versions of our planet that are massive and more rocky.

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