Belgian astronomers have discovered an exoplanet with a very low density, comparable to the density of cotton candy. Its description was published in the scientific journal Nature Astronomy (NatAstro).
Object WASP-193b was discovered by scientists from the University of Liege. The planet is located 1.2 thousand light-years from Earth. It is located in the system of the Sun-like star WASP-193, reports ScienceAlert.
The planet is almost one and a half times larger than Jupiter, but only 0.1 times more massive. Its density is 0.059 grams per cubic centimeter (the density of Jupiter is 1.33 grams). Cotton candy has a density of 0.05 grams per cubic centimeter. For comparison, the density of the Earth is 5.51 grams.
The phenomenally low density made WASP-193b a real anomaly. Its description notes that such indicators cannot be explained by standard models of the formation of gas giants – even if we assume the extremely low probability that the exoplanet is missing a core.
According to astronomers, they believe that the reason for WASP-193b’s extremely low density may be related to the composition of its atmosphere, consisting of hydrogen and helium, as well as its proximity to the star. It completes a full revolution around its star in just 6.25 Earth days. Scientists believe that the star’s radiation “inflates” the planet’s gas envelope.
