A challenge to the symmetry of laws of physics

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the discovery of a planet ten times the size of Jupiter that orbits its star in under 24 hours, raising questions about its existence according to current physical laws. Critics argue that the title claiming it "defies the laws of physics" is misleading, asserting that the planet's detection merely reflects a moment before its inevitable demise. The probability of finding such a planet is misrepresented, as the calculation method used in the article is deemed flawed. The consensus is that as detection technology improves, many more unusual planets will be discovered.

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WaveJumper said:
"It's the planet that really shouldn't exist – or at least not for long. It is 10 times the size of Jupiter, orbits its own star in under 24 hours and should soon be spiralling into the surface of its searingly-hot sun..."

Full story:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/planet-found-that-defies-the-laws-of-physics-1777738.html
Ugh that's a horrifyingly bad title. Defies the laws of physics? I'm sorry, but no. We just managed to catch it before it died.

And the article? Wow. That's absolutely ridiculous. One in 2000 chance of finding it? I'm sorry, but no. You can't just divide the expected remaining lifetime by the current lifetime and get a probability out. It doesn't work that way. The fact is that we've detected many hundreds of planets so far, and we're going to be detecting many thousands more over the next few years. A great number of them are going to be 'unusual' in some respect or another.
 

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