Unraveling the Enigma of Shrinking Exoplanets: Insights from Kepler and Retired NASA Telescope

Data from NASA's Kepler Space Telescope suggests that the absence of exoplanets between 1.5 and two times the size of Earth may be due to core-powered mass loss. Scientists have found evidence that the cores of sub-Neptune exoplanets push away their atmospheres from the inside out, causing the exoplanets to shrink. This phenomenon occurs when radiation emitted by the planet's hot core interacts with the atmosphere, causing it to fade away slowly. The study used data from the Kepler Space Telescope's extended mission, K2, and found that core-powered mass loss is the leading explanation for atmospheric loss in sub-Neptunes. Further research is needed to fully understand this process.