Scientists have discovered around 500 planets thus far. Until now, however, all have originated within the Milky Way galaxy. For the first time ever, scientist discovered a planet from another galaxy. It’s not really that straightforward, however–while the planet and its star originated in another galaxy, it was subsequently cannibalized by our own.
The star, called HIP 13044, is roughly 2,000 light years away. It is part of the Helmi stream, a dwarf galaxy that was cannibalized by the Milky six to nine billion years ago. The planet–the first discovered that originated in another galaxy–is 20 percent larger than Jupiter.
HIP 13044 is actually a dead star, having used up all of the hydrogen in its core. It expanded to a massive size and has subsequently conctracted. It’s a rare instance of a planet surviving the death of its host store.
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