Science, Space and Technology News 2024
WASP-193b, a newly discovered planet, is larger than Jupiter but has a remarkably low density similar to cotton candy. This anomaly challenges existing planetary formation theories and presents a unique case among known planets. Further analysis, particularly of its atmospheric properties, could provide deeper insights into its unusual characteristics. Credit: SciTechDaily.com
“We don’t know where to put this planet in all the formation theories we have right now, because it’s an outlier of all of them,” adds co-lead author Francisco Pozuelos, a senior researcher at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía-CSIC . “We cannot explain how this planet was formed, based on classical evolution models. Looking more closely at its atmosphere will allow us to obtain an evolutionary path of this planet.
The astronomers then looked to pin down the planet’s mass — a measure that would then reveal its density and potentially also clues to its composition. To get a mass estimate, astronomers typically employ radial velocity, a technique in which scientists analyze a star’s spectrum, or various wavelengths of light, as a planet circles the star. A star’s spectrum can be shifted in specific ways depending on whatever is pulling on the star, such as an orbiting planet.
“It took us almost four years to collect all the data needed to obtain the mass of WASP-193b,” says Barkaoui. “The planet is so light that it’s difficult to think of an analogous, solid-state material. The reason why it’s close to cotton candy is because both are mostly made of light gases rather than solids. The planet is basically super fluffy.”
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