Astronomers Discover an Exoplanet as Light as Cotton Candy
The planet orbits its sun-like star every 6.25 Earth days, suggesting that its proximity to the star might contribute to its puffed-up atmosphere due to intense stellar radiation.
Scientists have made a perplexing discovery—an exoplanet with the density of cotton candy, baffling astronomers with its unusual structure and challenging existing planetary formation models. Named WASP-193b, this unique planet is located 1,232 light-years away and showcases properties that seem to defy the norms of celestial physics.
WASP-193b stands out not just for its size, being 1.46 times bigger than Jupiter, but for its strikingly low mass about 0.14 that of Jupiter. This results in a density of just 0.059 grams per cubic centimeter—comparable to that of cotton candy. For perspective, Earth has a density of 5.55 grams per cubic centimeter, and even gas giant Jupiter registers at 1.33 grams per cubic centimeter.
The planet orbits its sun-like star every 6.25 Earth days, suggesting that its proximity to the star might contribute to its puffed-up atmosphere due to intense stellar radiation. However, this proximity also raises questions about how the planet has retained such an atmosphere over billions of years.
Current models of planet formation and evolution struggle to accommodate a planet like WASP-193b. Its characteristics are so atypical that researchers believe it could redefine our understanding of how planets develop, particularly those close to their stars.