NASA’s TESS Discovers Fiery, Lava-Covered Exoplanet in Distant Star System

UC Riverside astrophysicist Stephen Kane had to double-check his calculations when he discovered an exoplanet so extreme that it seemed almost impossible. The planet, located in a star system called HD 104067 about 66 light years away from our sun, is covered with so many active volcanoes that seen from a distance, it would take on a fiery, glowing-red hue.

“It was one of those discovery moments that you think, ‘wow, it’s amazing this can actually exist,'” Kane said. A paper detailing the...