Helium Tails Discovered Escaping Jupiter-like Planet HAT-P-32 b
Astronomers using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope have discovered some of the longest tails of gas yet observed escaping a planet. The planet, HAT-P-32b, is nearly twice the size of Jupiter and losing its atmosphere through dramatic jets of helium unfurling before and behind it as it travels through space. These tails are more than 50 times the length of the planet's radius. The discovery is published in the journal Science Advances.