tech
Astronomers find 2 gigantic planets lighter than cotton candy: "Comparable to a nice blob of shaving foam"
Astronomers have uncovered a pair of giant planets that are lighter than cotton candy — super-puffs the size of Jupiter.
TL;DR
- Two giant exoplanets, "super-puffs," have been discovered with densities less than cotton candy.
- These planets are the size of Jupiter but are significantly less dense, comparable to shaving foam.
- They orbit a star 1,110 light-years away in the southern constellation Volans.
- The planets are likely composed mainly of hydrogen and helium, with their exact chemical makeup to be confirmed by the Webb Space Telescope.
- Super-puffs are considered rare and pose a puzzle for current theories of giant planet formation.
- Jupiter is about 35 times denser than these newly discovered planets.
- One planet has an orbital period of 139 days, and the other has 232 days.
- NASA has confirmed nearly 6,300 exoplanets, with fewer than 40 being super-puffs.