From raining glass to lava oceans, the cosmos holds truly impossible worlds
In short: Beyond our solar system, planets defy every rule of terrestrial physics. We have discovered worlds where it rains sideways glass, planets being slowly devoured by their stars, and even a 'Tatooine' with two suns. These extreme exoplanets challenge our very understanding of what a planetary system can look like.
The diversity of exoplanets is staggering, ranging from the relatively nearby to the incredibly extreme. For instance, GJ 15 A b and GJ 15 A c are our nearest multi-planet neighbors discovered so far, orbiting a red-dwarf star just 11 light-years away. In contrast, the planet HD 189733 b, discovered in 2005, presents a terrifying environment: a cobalt blue world where winds of 5,4 enough mph (2km/s) whip clouds of glass sideways through a blow-torched atmosphere.
Some worlds exist in a state of cosmic destruction. WASP-12 b, a hot Jupiter discovered in 2008, orbits so closely to its parent star that it is actively being torn apart, completing a full orbit in only 1.1 days. Similarly, TOI-849 b, discovered in 2020, may be the naked, exposed core of a gas giant that had its entire atmosphere blasted away by its star. Even more eerie are the pulsar planets like PSR B1257+12 b, discovered in 1994, which orbit an 'undead' star and are subjected to constant radiation.
Other planets showcase bizarre compositions and temperatures. 55 Cancri e, found in 2004, features a global ocean of lava and sparkling skies, while KELT-9 b is so intensely hot that heat actually tears molecules apart on its dayside. We even find worlds like Kepler-16 b, the first 'Tatooine-like' planet found in our galaxy, where two suns set over the horizon. These discoveries, spanning from 1994 to 2020, continue to push the boundaries of planetary science.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The Most Bizarre Exoplanets We've Ever Found
- Also: Strange New Worlds - NASA Science
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