Jun 5, 2017

Hottest planet found yet has a temperature of 7800 degrees

NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (IPAC)

Scientists have discovered the hottest giant exoplanet yet. With a mass similar to Jupiter, the newly found planet has a temperature of about 7800 degrees Fahrenheit, hot enough to break the bonds between atoms in its atmosphere, and is bombarded by extreme-ultraviolet radiation from its host star.

Sound smart: Extreme-ultraviolet radiation is wavelengths shorter than 91.2 nanometers.

Why it matters: Thousands of planets have been observed around stars beyond our solar system, but this is just the sixth around a hot, A-type star. In this case, it's the massive KELT-9, which is almost twice as hot as our sun (at nearly 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit). Most researchers focus on searching for cooler planets that could, in theory, harbor life, but studying the hot giants will help to hone our understanding of the limits for planetary formation and evolution.

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Sara Fischer, Ashley Gold, Kyle Daly, Dan Primack
5 hours ago - Technology

Trump tightens screws on ByteDance to sell Tiktok

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

President Trump added more pressure Friday night on China-based TikTok parent ByteDance to exit the U.S., ordering it to divest all assets related to the U.S. operation of TikTok within 90 days.

Between the lines: The order means ByteDance must be wholly disentangled from TikTok in the U.S. by November. Trump had previously ordered TikTok banned if ByteDance hadn't struck a deal within 45 days. The new order likely means ByteDance has just another 45 days after that to fully close the deal, one White House source told Axios.

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Axios
Updated 5 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 9:30 p.m. ET: 21,056,850 — Total deaths: 762,293— Total recoveries: 13,100,902 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 9:30 p.m ET: 5,306,215 — Total deaths: 168,334 — Total recoveries: 1,796,309 — Total tests: 65,676,624 — Map.
  3. Health: CDC: Survivors of COVID-19 have up to three months of immunity —Fauci believes normalcy will return by "the end of 2021" with vaccine — The pandemic's toll on mental health — FDA releases first-ever list of medical supplies in shortage.
  4. States: California passes 600,000 confirmed coronavirus cases.
  5. Cities: Coronavirus pandemic dims NYC's annual 9/11 Tribute in Light.
  6. Business: How small businesses got stiffed — Unemployment starts moving in the right direction.
  7. Politics: Biden signals fall strategy with new ads.
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Alexi McCammond
11 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Harris: "Women are going to be a priority" in Biden administration

Sen. Kamala Harris at an event in Wilmington, Del. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

In her first sit-down interview since being named Joe Biden's running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris talked about what she'll do to fight for women if elected VP, and how the Democrats are thinking about voter turnout strategies ahead of November.

What they're saying: "In a Biden-Harris administration women are going to be a priority, understanding that women have many priorities and all of them must be acknowledged," Harris told The 19th*'s Errin Haines-Whack.

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