Astronomers have made a fascinating discovery using the James Webb Space Telescope. They’ve found an exoplanet that challenges everything we thought we knew about distant worlds. Dubbed PSR J2322-2650b, this planet is not just unusual in its orbit, but also in shape—it’s stretched out, resembling a lemon or a football.
PSR J2322-2650b orbits a pulsar, a rapidly spinning neutron star, just one million miles away. For context, that’s only about one percent of the distance from the Earth to the Sun. A “year” on this planet lasts just 7.8 Earth hours! The strong gravity from the pulsar pulls the planet into its elongated shape.
Michael Zhang, an exoplanet scientist at the University of Chicago, noted, “It’s the stretchiest planet that we’ve confirmed the stretchiness of.” The findings were detailed in a recent study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Neutron stars, like the one PSR J2322-2650b orbits, are incredibly dense remnants of massive stars that have exploded as supernovae. They contain the mass of our Sun in a space the size of a small city. Such extreme gravity creates bizarre conditions, making it a unique case for observation.
While pulsars emit a powerful beam of energy, mostly in gamma rays, the James Webb Telescope specializes in infrared wavelengths. This makes it possible to study the planet while effectively avoiding the bright light of the pulsar.
Maya Beleznay, a physicist at Stanford, explained, “This system is unique because we see the planet illuminated by its host star but can’t see the host star. This gives us a clear view of the planet.”
The atmosphere of PSR J2322-2650b is unlike anything we’ve seen before. It reaches scorching surface temperatures of up to 3,700 degrees Fahrenheit—four times hotter than Venus. Its atmosphere is mostly made up of helium and carbon, a rare combination that suggests a lack of common elements like oxygen and nitrogen typically found on gas giants. This unusual composition hints at a possibility of clouds made of soot, and near the planet’s core, these could condense into diamonds.
What’s particularly exciting is the ongoing mystery of PSR J2322-2650b. Few pulsars host planets, let alone one this strange. Some scientists propose that the planet might belong to a type of system known as a black widow binary, where the pulsar strips material from another stellar object. However, this has only been observed between pulsars and stars, not planets, raising intriguing questions about the planet’s origin.
Zhang speculates, “Did this thing form like a normal planet? No, because the composition is entirely different.” This raises doubts about known formation mechanisms, suggesting we could be looking at a new class of cosmic object.
The astrological community is buzzing about this discovery. Online forums and discussions highlight a mix of excitement and skepticism. Users are intrigued by the possibility of discovering something entirely new in our universe.
In summary, PSR J2322-2650b isn’t just a unique planet; it’s a window into the complexities of cosmic evolution and the limits of our understanding. As we continue to study these bizarre worlds, we may uncover insights that redefine our place in the cosmos.
If you’re curious about the study that started it all, you can read more in detail in The Astrophysical Journal Letters here.
