In a first, astronomers detect giant planet orbiting a dead star - CNET

A tiny white dwarf, WD 1856, is orbited closely by a huge planet. .

Around 80 light-years from Earth lies the white dwarf WD 1856, a dead star that entered the final stages of its life around 6 billion years ago.

They've dubbed it WD 1856 b and it's a surprising find -- it avoided destruction and demonstrates dead stars could still host planets with the right conditions for life.

The discovery published in Nature today is different because it records a direct detection of the planet orbiting in front of its host star, which has not previously been achieved for a white dwarf.

But if it's so close to its star, how did WD 1856 b survive the expansion phase.

When its host star became a red giant, it may have disturbed the planets in its system, causing their orbits to go askew.

Because it's such an elderly white dwarf, that also gives planets plenty of time to sidle up close.

Potentially, it could mean there are other planets orbiting the white dwarf, too. .

Future observations, the team writes, should be able to confirm whether or not WD 1856 b really is a planet or if it's a failed star known as a "brown dwarf." They point to the upcoming, but long-delayed, James Webb Telescope and the Gemini Observatory as keys to understanding WD 1856 b better.

All four of the solar system's inner planets will be incinerated in the expansion until, like WD 1856, it runs out of fuel and collapses back to a cool, white dwarf