This graphic contains an image and illustration of a nearby
star, named CoRoT-2a, which has a planet in close orbit around
it. The separation between the star and planet is only about 3
percent of the distance between the Earth and the Sun, causing
some exotic effects not seen in our solar system. The planet-
hosting star is located in the center of the image. Data from
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory are shown in purple, along with
optical and infrared data from the Panchromatic Robotic Optical
Monitoring and Polarimetry Telescopes (PROMPT) and the Two
Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS). CoRoT-2a is surrounded by a
purple glow showing that it is an X-ray source. This star is
pummeling its companion planet -- not visible in this image --
with a barrage of X-rays a hundred thousand times more intense
than the Earth receives from the Sun. Data from Chandra suggest
that high-energy radiation from CoRoT-2a is evaporating about 5
million tons of matter from the nearby planet every second,
giving insight into the diffic