For the first time, astronomers have discovered an intact planet that has been orbiting a white dwarf. A white dwarf is a small dense, dead star that is typically the size of a planet. This presents a promising opportunity to determine if life can survive the death of a star, the researchers said.

This Jupiter sized exoplanet has been named WD 1856 b. It is located 80 light-years from Earth in the Draco constellation.

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“WD 1856 b somehow got very close to its white dwarf and managed to stay in one piece,” said Andrew Vanderburg, an assistant professor of astronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. When a star becomes a white dwarf, it destroys the nearby planet. 

“Anything that later gets too close is usually torn apart by the star’s immense gravity. We still have many questions about how WD 1856 b arrived at its current location without meeting one of those fates,” he added.

A paper about the system, led by Vanderburg and including several NASA co-authors, was published in the scientific journal ‘Nature.’

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This planet is a gas giant and therefore not able to sustain life. But its existence suggests that smaller rocky planets, which could sustain life, could also exist in the habitable zones of white dwarfs.

“If rocky planets exist around white dwarfs, we could spot signs of life on them in the next few years,” said corresponding author Lisa Kaltenegger.

“What if the death of the star is not the end for life? Could life go on, even once our sun has died? Signs of life on planets orbiting white dwarfs would not only show the incredible tenacity of life but perhaps also a glimpse into our future,” she added.