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Astronomers Identify Two Largest Known Super-Puff Planets
Researchers detected a pair of Jupiter-sized planets with densities lower than cotton candy. The planets orbit a star 1,110 light-years away and were observed using NASA’s Tess satellite.
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Astronomers have identified two Jupiter-sized planets with densities lower than cotton candy, making them the largest known examples of super-puff planets. The planets orbit a star 1,110 light-years away in the southern constellation Volans. Researchers determined their low densities by combining transit data from NASA’s Tess satellite with follow-up observations from ground-based telescopes.
The planets are composed primarily of hydrogen and helium.
Their densities are comparable to shaving foam, according to measurements reported in the study. The University of Oxford’s George Dransfield said the planets likely appear white or blue depending on cloud cover. Confirmation of their chemical composition will require additional observations by NASA’s Webb Space Telescope.
Super-puff planets are considered rare.
Fewer than 40 have been confirmed among the nearly 6,300 exoplanets identified to date. The planets are thought to have formed in a gas-rich disk around a young star and later lost much of their solid material. A light-year equals nearly 6 trillion miles, placing the system far beyond the reach of current spacecraft.
