Water-dominated exoplanet orbits so close to its star that it faces imminent destruction

Astronomers have identified an exoplanet about 2.5 times Earth's size and 8.5 times its mass, composed of roughly 50% water, orbiting the star HD 176071 at just 1.5 million miles. The planet completes an orbit in 14 hours, and extreme tidal forces are driving it toward a fatal collision with its host star. It also resides in the Neptunian Desert, a region where such worlds are rarely found, yet retains a dynamic atmosphere.