An Exoplanet With a 350,000-Mile-Long Comet-Like Tail

New W. M. Keck Observatory data confirms exoplanet WASP-69b, known for its escaping atmosphere, is forming a comet-like tail that’s significantly longer than previously observed — at least 350,000 miles long! A UCLA-led team successfully detected this Jupiter-sized planet’s atmospheric mass-loss in real-time.

New data reveals the origin of odd radio circles (ORCs), which are so large they contain entire galaxies in their centers. A UC San Diego-led team used Keck Observatory’s Keck Cosmic Web Imager to study the first ORC discovered from the Northern Hemisphere. Their detective work revealed these rare radio rings are formed by outflowing galactic winds, possibly from massive stars that go supernova.

Strange New Luminous Fast Blue Optical Transient

• W. M. Keck Observatory/Adam Makarenko
• Jayanne English/University of Manitoba
• NASA, ESA, NSF’s NOIRLab, Mark Garlick, Mahdi Zamani