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Science & Tech100 outlets ran this3 min read

Astronomers Discover Second-Generation Planet Orbiting White Dwarf

The gas giant appears to have formed from material expelled by its dying star.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published
This artist's rendering provided by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics shows an asteroid slowly disintegrating as it orbits a white dwarf star. (Mark A. Garlick / Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics via AP)

What this story says

  • Astronomers have identified a gas giant exoplanet orbiting a white dwarf star 250 light-years from Earth.
  • This planet is classified as 'second-generation', meaning it formed from the remnants of its star after its death, rather than from a primordial disk.
  • The planet's composition, rich in niobium, copper, and zinc, supports its second-generation origin.
  • Researchers used data from the Hubble, TESS, and FUSE telescopes, with future observations planned using the James Webb Space Telescope.

Who covered it

Left 14%(14)Centre 78%(75)Right 8%(8)

Percentages are shares of the 97 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 3 of the 100 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

60/100

Craft

60/100

Hype

20/100

100 sources · methodology

A gas giant exoplanet, described as a second-generation planet, has been discovered orbiting a white dwarf star about 250 light-years from Earth. This classification indicates the planet did not form from the initial disk of material around a newborn star, but rather from the debris of a star's later stages. The planet orbits its white dwarf every 4.4 days at a distance equivalent to 4 per cent of the Earth-Sun distance. Researchers used data from the Hubble, TESS, and FUSE telescopes to make the discovery, and plan to use the James Webb Space Telescope for confirmation.

The planet's chemical composition, which includes significant amounts of niobium, copper, and zinc, suggests it formed from material expelled by its dying star. These elements are indicative of the stellar material ejected during a star's death throes. The discovery suggests that planet formation can occur around white dwarfs, which are common stellar remnants, potentially leading to the formation of many more such planets than around rarer pulsars.

Disagreement on planet's proximity

One report states the planet orbits the white dwarf at only 4 per cent of the distance between Earth and the sun. Another report states the planet is located approximately 270 light-years away from Earth.

What the coverage left out

None of the left-rated digests mention the potential for habitable second-generation rocky planets forming around white dwarfs, a detail included in the full report from CTV News. None of the right-rated digests mention the potential for habitable second-generation rocky planets forming around white dwarfs.

Tags:#Exoplanet#Astronomy#WhiteDwarf#SpaceDiscovery#SecondGenerationPlanet

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 4 times, most recently on 12 Oct 2026, 23:00, and will add the sides that appear.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

14 rated outlets

  • Eight of the ten left-rated reports led with the 'phoenix planet' analogy, describing it as a world born from the ashes of a dying star. These reports highlighted that this discovery proves planet formation is not a one-time event occurring only when a star is young. Several digests also noted that most known planets are first-generation planets formed when a star is born.

Centre

75 rated outlets

  • Nine of the centre-rated reports also used the 'phoenix planet' analogy, focusing on the idea of a world rising from the ashes of a dying star. These digests frequently stated that most known planets are first-generation planets formed when a star is born. Some digests mentioned the planet's composition, noting it was rich in elements like niobium, copper, and zinc.

Right

8 rated outlets

  • All eight right-rated reports used the 'phoenix planet' metaphor, describing the exoplanet as being born from the ashes of a dying star. These digests stated that the discovery proves planet formation is not limited to a star's youth. Some digests mentioned the planet's composition, including heavy elements such as zinc, copper, and niobium, and its formation from material shed by its dying star.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Astronomers Discover Second-Generation Planet Orbiting White Dwarf?
Of the 97 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 14% are rated left, 78% are rated centre, 8% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 100. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Astronomers Discover Second-Generation Planet Orbiting White Dwarf left or right?
The story itself is neither. What can be counted is who has covered it, and 78% of the 97 rated outlets on it are rated centre — so far this is a story carried mostly by the centre. Coverage is still arriving and that can change, which is why the figure is dated rather than fixed.
Is the coverage of Astronomers Discover Second-Generation Planet Orbiting White Dwarf biased?
Astronomers Discover Second-Generation Planet Orbiting White Dwarf is one event reported by 100 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which outlets covered Astronomers Discover Second-Generation Planet Orbiting White Dwarf?
100 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
What is a second-generation planet?
A second-generation planet is one that forms after its host star has died and become a stellar remnant, such as a white dwarf. This is in contrast to first-generation planets, which form from the initial disk of material surrounding a newborn star.
How far away is this newly discovered planet?
The exoplanet is located approximately 250 light-years from Earth. A light-year is the distance light travels in one year, which is about 5.9 trillion miles or 9.5 trillion kilometres.
What elements is the planet rich in?
The planet is rich in niobium, copper, and zinc. These elements are indicative of its second-generation origin, suggesting it formed from material expelled by its dying star.

Read it at the source

100 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

14
Show 6 more

Centre

75
Show 67 more

Right

8

Not rated

3

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

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