The unique „super super” planet is about the size of Jupiter but 10 times lighter

Astronomers have discovered a unique „super-blowing” planet the size of Jupiter, but 10 times lighter.

The planet, called WASP-107b, is thought to be one of the least dense exoplanets ever discovered, earning it the nicknames „super puff” or „cotton candy” planet.

The researchers say the findings have „significant implications” for what we understand about how giant planets form and grow.

WASP-107b is very close to its star, WASP-107, with estimates indicating that the planet is 16 times more than its star compared to Earth’s sun.

WASP-107b is located about 212 light years from Earth, in the constellation Virgo.

It is estimated that the planet is more than 16 times closer to its star, WASP-107, than Earth is to the sun.

Using observations obtained by the Keck Observatory in Hawaii, researchers from the University of Montreal were able to determine the size and density of the planet.

Their results indicate that WASP-107b is about the size of Jupiter, but about 10 times lighter.

This extremely low density indicates that the planet Earth should have a solid core no more than four times the mass of Earth, according to the researchers.

This indicates that more than 85% of its mass resides in the thick layer of gas surrounding its core.

„ We had a lot of questions about the WASP-107b, ” said Caroline Biaulit, a PhD student at the University of Montreal and lead author of the study. How could a planet form such a low density?

And how did it keep a huge layer of gas from escaping, especially given the planet’s proximity to its star?

This prompted us to conduct a comprehensive analysis to determine the date of its formation.

Most gas giants, such as Jupiter and Saturn, have a solid core at least ten times the mass of Earth.

The planet is estimated to be about the size of Jupiter, but about 10 times lighter

However, WASP-107b contains a much less dense nucleus, leading researchers to question how the planet was able to cross the critical threshold needed to build and hold its gaseous envelope.

Professor Yves Lee, the world-renowned expert on super-blowing planets, has several theories.

„For WASP-107b, the most plausible scenario is that the planet formed further away from the star, with the gas in the disk cool enough that gas accumulation could occur very quickly,” she said.

The planet was later able to move to its current position, either through interactions with the disk or with other planets in the system.

Surprisingly, previous data from NASA’s Hubble spacecraft indicates that WASP-107b contains very little methane.

Ms Biaulit said: „ This is strange, because for these types of planets, methane must be abundant. We are now re-analyzing Hubble’s observations of the new mass of the planet to see how they will affect the results, and to examine the mechanisms that might explain the destruction of methane.

WASP-107b is roughly the size of Jupiter (pictured), but is 10 times lighter than the gas giant

The observations also revealed that not only WASP-107b orbiting the star WASP-107 – it was joined by another planet called WASP-107c.

WASP-107c is about one-third the mass of Jupiter, so far from its central star WASP-107b, and it takes three years to complete one orbit, for just 5.7 days.

Interestingly, the eccentric eccentricity of this second planet is high, which means that its path is more elliptical than circular.

“In some respects WASP-107c has retained a memory of what happened in its system,” Ms. Biaolit explained.

„Its large aberration indicates a somewhat chaotic past, with interplanetary interactions that could lead to large displacements, such as those suspected in WASP-107b.”

The team hopes the results will shed light on the various mechanisms of planet formation throughout the universe.

„ Exoplanets like WASP-107b, which have no analogues in our solar system, allow us to better understand the mechanisms of planetary formation in general and the diversity produced by exoplanets, ” added Ms. It motivates us to study it in great detail.

Scientists study the atmospheres of distant exoplanets using huge space satellites such as Hubble

Distant stars and planets orbiting them often have conditions unlike anything we see in our atmosphere.

To understand this new world, and its components, scientists need to be able to discover what atmospheres are made of.

They often do this with a telescope similar to NASA’s Hubble Telescope.

These massive satellites scan the skies and stabilize them on exoplanets that NASA thinks may be of interest.

Here, the onboard sensors perform various forms of analysis.

One of the most important and useful ones is absorption spectroscopy.

This form of analysis measures the light emitted from a planet’s atmosphere.

Each gas absorbs a slightly different wavelength of light, and when this happens a black line appears across the entire spectrum.

These lines correspond to a very specific molecule, indicating its presence on the planet.

They are often called the Fraunhofer Lines, after the German astronomer and physicist who first discovered them in 1814.

By combining all the different wavelengths of the lights, scientists can determine all of the chemicals that make up a planet’s atmosphere.

The key is that what is missing, provides clues to find out what is there.

It is very important to do this with space telescopes, as the Earth’s atmosphere will overlap.

Absorption from chemicals in our atmosphere can deflect the sample, which is why it is important to study light before it has a chance to reach Earth.

This is often used to search for helium, sodium, and even oxygen in exotic atmospheres.

This diagram shows how light that passes from a star and through an exoplanet’s atmosphere produces Fraunhofer lines that indicate the presence of major compounds such as sodium or helium.