The cosmic outlier: A planet with the density of cotton candy

Space · Published 22 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Astronomers have discovered WASP-193b, a gas giant so fluffy it defies current planetary formation models. This video explores how this "puffy Jupiter" was found and why its extreme properties are baffling scientists.

WASP-193b is an exoplanet located approximately 1,200 light-years from Earth. While it is about 1.5 times the width of Jupiter, it possesses only about a tenth of the gas giant's mass. This gives it a density comparable to cotton candy, making it the second-lightest planet ever discovered—surpassed only by the Neptune-like world Kepler 51d.

The discovery was made using the Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP) system, which detected periodic dips in starlight as the planet transited its sun-like star. Because WASP-193b is so light, it does not exert a discernible gravitational tug on its star, making it impossible to measure via traditional radial velocity methods. Scientists currently cannot explain how such an outlier formed using classical evolution models. The video provides context on the accelerating rate of exoplanet discovery, noting that over 6,000 planets have been confirmed in just over three decades.

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