Scientists have discovered a giant planet with the density of cotton candy and it is 1200 light years away from Earth.
The newly discovered exoplanet WASP-193b is located outside our solar system, according to a study published in the journal Astronomy of nature on Tuesday, May 14. NASA reports that nothing like it exists in our solar system.
The exoplanet is 50% larger than Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system. Because of its extremely low density, WASP-193b is an anomaly among the more than 5,000 exoplanets scientists have discovered so far. Additionally, because of its density, it took four years to collect the data, according to MIT News.
WASP-193 B.
OUR
The only planet discovered as a lower density planet is the Neptune-like planet Kepler-51d, which was discovered 10 years ago.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(1134x0:1136x2)/nasa-051524-f38d1fea7fa74bf6b824186abf7b362a.jpg)
Kepler-51d planet.
OUR
An unknown planet may exist in our solar system, say experts
“Finding these giant objects of such low density is really, really rare,” lead study author and MIT postdoc Khalid Barkaoui told MIT News. “There is a class of planets called puffy Jupiters, and for 15 years it has been a mystery what they are. And this is an extreme case of that class.”
WASP-193b is categorized as a “super-puff,” a term scientists use to refer to a unique class of exoplanets with the density of cotton candy. Its density is estimated to be 0.059 grams per cubic centimeter, which is only 0.04 grams per cubic centimeter more than cotton candy. Jupiter is measured at 0.14, while Earth is at 5.51 grams per cubic centimeter.
James Webb telescope finds ‘swirling clouds’ on planet with 22-hour days and temperatures of 1,500 degrees
It is assumed to be composed mostly of hydrogen and helium, which scientists explain is likely to have created a highly inflated atmosphere. Although gases inflate the atmosphere, it is still not known how the planet can inflate so much.
“We don’t know where to put this planet in all the formation theories we currently have, because of all of them it is extraordinary,” Francisco Pozuelos, study author and astronomer at the Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia, said in a statement. “We cannot explain how this planet came to be.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/uranus-in-taurus-3-040524-98cc345a4de0471ab90a41fa5123752f.jpg)
Jupiter, illustration.
Getty
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“The planet is so light that it is difficult to imagine an analogous material in the solid state,” Julien de Wit, an MIT professor and co-author of the study, said in a press release, CBS News reports. “The reason it’s close to cotton candy is that they’re both mostly air. The planet is basically super fluffy.”
“In the beginning, we were getting extremely low densities, which was very hard to believe at first,” adds Pozuelos. “We repeated the process of analyzing all the data several times to make sure this was the actual density of the planet because this was super rare.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education