Unusual Giant Planet with Fluffy Cotton Candy-like Density Discovered

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Ever wondered what is big, fluffy, and has a cotton candy-like composition? It's actually a planet.

An international team of astronomers has recently found a unique planet called WASP-193b. This planet is approximately 50% larger than Jupiter and surprisingly, it is the second lightest planet discovered so far.

WASP-193b is situated outside of our solar system, roughly 1,200 light-years away from Earth. This planet is not just an interesting scientific discovery, but it could also play a crucial role in future studies on unusual planetary formation. A study detailing this discovery was published on Tuesday in the journal Nature Astronomy.

There are other planets like this cotton candy planet, known as "puffy Jupiters." The lightest one discovered so far is Kepler 51d, which is almost as big as Jupiter but much lighter.

Puffy Jupiters have puzzled scientists for 15 years, according to Khalid Barkaoui, the lead author of the study. WASP-193b, due to its size, is a perfect choice for more research using the James Webb Space Telescope and other observatories.

"It's hard to find a solid material similar to this planet because it's so light," explained Barkaoui, a postdoctoral researcher at MIT. "The planet's composition is mostly light gases, similar to cotton candy. That's why it's incredibly fluffy."

A low-density planet like this poses a significant challenge.

Researchers were puzzled by WASP-193b, believed to be composed mainly of hydrogen and helium, due to its unusually low density for its size. This made it difficult to calculate the planet's mass accurately.

Traditionally, scientists use a method called radial velocity to determine mass. This involves studying how a star's spectrum, a graph showing the intensity of light emissions in wavelengths, changes as a planet orbits around it. However, this method did not work for WASP-193b because the planet is so light that it had little to no gravitational pull on the star, making it undetectable.

After four years of collecting data and analyzing, the team finally determined the mass of WASP-193b, according to Barkaoui. The researchers had to conduct multiple rounds of data analysis due to the rarity of the extremely low numbers they found.

This cloudy, ominous structure is CG 4, a cometary globule nicknamed ‘God’s Hand’. CG 4 is one of many cometary globules present within the Milky Way, and how these objects get their distinct form is still a matter of debate among astronomers. This image was captured by the Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera on the U.S. National Science Foundation Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, a Program of NSF NOIRLab. In it, the features that classify CG 4 as a cometary globule are hard to miss. Its dusty head and long, faint tail vaguely resemble the appearance of a comet, though they have nothing in common. Astronomers theorize that cometary globules get their structure from the stellar winds of nearby hot, massive stars.

This mysterious formation known as CG 4, also called Gods Hand, is a cometary globule found in the Milky Way. Scientists are still unsure about how these objects take on their unique shape. They believe that the stellar winds from nearby hot, massive stars may play a role in shaping cometary globules like CG 4. The image of CG 4 was captured by the Dark Energy Camera, created by the Department of Energy, on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, which is part of the NSF NOIRLab program. In the image, the distinctive features of CG 4, such as its dusty head and long, faint tail, can be clearly seen, resembling the appearance of a comet despite having no actual connection.

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New telescope images reveal ghostly ‘God’s Hand’ in Milky Way reaching across the cosmos

"We were surprised by the initial very low densities we were getting," shared co-lead author Francisco Pozuelos, a senior researcher at Spain’s Institute of Astrophysics of Andalucia, in a news release.

After further investigation, the team found out that the planet’s mass is only 14% of that of Jupiter, even though it is significantly larger.

A larger size of a planet also means a larger "extended atmosphere," as mentioned by Julien de Wit, an associate professor of planetary science at MIT who coauthored the study. This makes WASP-193b an especially valuable tool for studying the formation of these puffy planets.

According to de Wit, "The larger a planet's atmosphere, the more light can pass through it." This makes WASP-193b one of the prime candidates for researching atmospheric effects. It is expected to provide crucial insights into the mystery surrounding puffy Jupiters.

It is unclear how WASP-193b was formed, according to Barkaoui. The traditional models of gas giant formation do not fully account for this unusual phenomenon.

He mentioned that WASP-193b stands out among all the planets that have been discovered so far.

Editor's P/S:

The discovery of WASP-193b, a "cotton candy" planet, is a testament to the vastness and wonders of our universe. Its unique characteristics challenge our understanding of planetary formation and open up new avenues for scientific exploration. The planet's low density and extended atmosphere make it an ideal subject for studying atmospheric effects and gaining insights into the mysteries of puffy Jupiters.

The existence of WASP-193b also raises questions about the diversity and complexity of planetary systems beyond our own. Its anomalous composition suggests that the traditional models of gas giant formation may need to be revised or expanded to accommodate such unusual phenomena. The study of WASP-193b and similar planets will undoubtedly contribute to our growing knowledge of the cosmos and the enigmatic processes that shape its celestial bodies.