Scientists have confirmed the existence of a massive ‘super-puff’ exoplanet, one as large as Jupiter, but 10 times lighter and capable of changing the way humanity explores the universe.
The planet, known as WASP-107b, was first found in 2017, but it was only recently that astronomers were able to confirm the low density and place it in the category of “sugar spin” or “super puff”.
“For WASP-107b, the most plausible scenario is that the planet formed far from the star, where the gas in the disk is cold enough for gas growth to occur very quickly,” said Caroline Piaulet, lead author of the study. . “The planet could later migrate to its current position, either through interactions with the disk or with other planets in the system.”
Artistic version of the exoplanet WASP-107b and its star, WASP-107. Some of the star’s light flows through the exoplanet’s extensive gas layer. (Credit: ESA / HUBBLE, NASA, M. KORNMESSER)
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The study was published in The Astronomical Journal.
WASP-107b orbits the WASP-107 galaxy, which is 211 light-years from Earth. A light year, which measures the distance in space, is about 6 trillion miles.
WASP-107b is extremely close to its star, taking only 5.7 days to orbit its star, 16 times closer to the sun than the earth. It also has a low density, because 85% of its mass is in the layer of gas around its core. When combined, astronomers have left many unanswered questions.
“We had a lot of questions about WASP-107b,” Piaulet added. “How could a planet with such a low density form? And how did it not let its enormous layer of gas escape, especially given the proximity of the planet to its star? This motivated us to do a thorough analysis to determine its formation history.
In contrast, Jupiter is significantly more massive, it has a core that is thought to make up 5% to 15% of its total mass and is significantly further from the Sun than WASP-107b of its star.
It is possible that WASP-107b was once in a completely different place in its galaxy as it evaporates.
“For WASP-107b, the most plausible scenario is that the planet has formed far away from the star, where the gas in the disk is cold enough to allow gas growth to occur rapidly,” said co-author and astronomer Eve Lee. “The planet could later migrate to its current position, either through interactions with the disk or with other planets in the system.”
During their observations of WASP-107b, the researchers also discovered another planet in the system, WASP-107c. This planet is very different from WASP-107b, with an oval orbit and it takes 1,088 days to bypass the host.
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WASP-107b will provide new insights into how gas giants form and provide new clues that Jupiter and Saturn cannot.
“Exoplanets like WASP-107b, which have no analog in our solar system, enable us to better understand the mechanisms of planet formation in general and the resulting variety of exoplanets,” Piaulet explained. “It motivates us to study them thoroughly.”
More than 4,000 exoplanets have been discovered in total by NASA, of which about 50 were possibly habitable as of September 2018. They have the right size and orbit of their star to support surface water and, at least theoretically, to support life.
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