NEWS IN BRIEF

Planet’s 18-hour year

Astronomers have discovered an exoplanet that orbits its star in just 18 hours, the shortest year of any known planet. The world, NGTS-10b,

detailed in a recent paper, is so close to its star it risks being torn apart by gravity. Astronomers will continue to watch the system to learn how long a planet can survive in such an extreme location.

Martian rover named

NASA’s Mars rover, formerly

known as Mars 2020, has a

new name – Perseverance.

The new moniker was

selected by an essay contest, the winning suggestion coming from 13-year-old

Alexander Mather. “We are a

species of explorers, and we will meet many setbacks on the way to Mars,” he wrote.

“However, we can persevere.”

Dying stars spin up asteroids

The bright radiation of a star heading towards its final

white dwarf phase could give asteroids energy to spin themselves apart, potentially killing off nearby planetary systems. A study simulated the effect around our own

star, finding that after its

demise the destruction could reduce the asteroid belt to rubble in six billion years.