A Journey to Kepler-70b: The Planet That Survived Being Eaten by Its Own Star!

What if I told you there’s a planet out there that defied death, escaped destruction, and survived being consumed by its own star?

Welcome to Kepler-70b—a planet so extreme, so baffling, that its very existence challenges our understanding of planetary survival, stellar evolution, and even what it means to be a planet.

This is the story of a world that refused to die.

🔭 The Discovery: A Planet in the Fire

Kepler-70b was discovered by NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope, a mission designed to hunt for exoplanets across the galaxy. But scientists weren’t prepared for what they found:

An exoplanet just 0.6 times the size of Jupiter, orbiting incredibly close to its host star—so close, in fact, that its year lasts just 5.76 hours.

That’s not a typo.
Kepler-70b orbits its star in less than 6 hours.

Its proximity suggested something dramatic:
Kepler-70b once orbited inside the envelope of its dying parent star.

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☀️ Surviving a Stellar Inferno

Kepler-70b orbits a subdwarf B star, which is the leftover core of a star that has shed its outer layers after exhausting its fuel. That means Kepler-70b was once deep inside a red giant star—and yet somehow managed to survive the inferno.

How is that possible?

Scientists believe Kepler-70b spiraled inward as the star expanded, but never vaporized.
It may have lost its outer layers, becoming a superheated rocky core.
Its survival challenges previous theories that no planet could withstand such conditions.

🌡️ Surface of Hell: What It’s Like on Kepler-70b

Kepler-70b is hotter than most stars—with an estimated surface temperature of 7,000°C (12,600°F). That’s hotter than the surface of the Sun!

What does that mean?

No atmosphere could survive.
Any known material would instantly vaporize.
It’s essentially a molten ball of metal and rock, glowing like an ember in the darkness.

Yet it keeps orbiting, stubbornly, defiantly—a planet on fire that won't die.

🔍 Why Kepler-70b Matters to Science

The existence of Kepler-70b has massive implications for planetary science:

Planetary Survival Theories Shattered
It proves that planets can survive red giant engulfment, at least partially.
New Class of Planets
It might be the first of many “post-stellar planets”—a whole new category of worlds we never expected.
Clues to Our Solar System's Fate
One day, the Sun will become a red giant too. Will Earth share Kepler-70b’s fate—or be completely consumed?

🧪 Is It Really a Planet?

Not everyone agrees. Some scientists argue that Kepler-70b might actually be:

A planetary remnant, like a stripped-down core
A stellar fragment, left behind from a star merger
Or even a dense chunk of exotic matter

But if it is a planet, it’s unlike any world we've ever seen—and possibly one-of-a-kind.

🛰️ Could We Ever Visit?

In theory? No.
Kepler-70b lies over 4,000 light-years away, in the constellation Cygnus. Even with future propulsion, it's far beyond our reach—a ghost planet glowing in the abyss.

But its story, its resilience, and its mystery continue to inspire scientists and science fiction fans alike.

It’s not just a planet. It’s a survivor.

🧠 Final Thoughts: The Planet That Refused to Die

Kepler-70b is more than an exoplanet—it's a symbol of cosmic resilience.
Against all odds, it endured the furnace of its dying star and emerged as one of the most hostile, yet fascinating, worlds ever discovered.

If a planet can survive being consumed by its own sun…
What else might the universe be hiding?

SCIENCE, HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY

Tuesday, July 22, 2025