Researchers have been intensely observing an exoplanet that is so adjacent to its star, it may well be on the “edge of disruption.” Recognized as NGTS-10b, this planet is a “hot Jupiter,” a gas giant that orbits its star very firmly. So far, nearly 400 exoplanets have met the “hot Jupiter” definition, but this particular one has a year that only lasts 18 hours, making it “perilously close” to its star. NGTS-10b, which is supposed to be roughly 10 billion years old, is not in the habitable zone, an area that could allow for liquid water to be on the surface, and is 1,000 light-years from Earth. One light-year is the equivalent of 6 trillion miles. The planet has such intense temperatures that it tears apart its hydrogen gas molecules on the dayside part of the planet, only to reform once they move around to the nightside part.
