There are still many planets that we don’t know about! Astronomers are exploring beyond the Solar System and are finding some places that are really curious. The plan is to discover planets that can harbor life or even serve as a new home for humanity, but while these destinations are located, other equally interesting sites are being found. The latest thing that has been carried out is a great discovery.
The wonders we are discovering with the James Webb are astounding us. The space telescope is causing astronomers and scientists to be amazed by everything there is in the universe that has not yet been explored. And, in this case, this has been the tool that has helped solve the mystery of a strange planet that has been detected with a particularly swollen shape that has caused surprise among all specialists. What causes the planet to look that kind of way?
A project of great discoveries
Thanks to the data provided by James Webb, astronomers have discovered that, to justify the shape of this type of planet, it is not necessary to resort to overly complex theories. Thus, it has been discovered that the reason is that the planet’s methane reserve is much lower than usual. This is already being valued as the possible explanation of the mystery, discovering that the planet’s atmosphere can inflate in an extremely curious way as has happened in this case.
The planet in question being talked about is WASP-107 b, which was discovered in 2017 as part of the findings of the WASP (Wide Angle Search for Planets) consortium. It is located at a distance of 200 light years from Earth and, as a curious fact, we have to tell you that it is in a constellation that you surely know very well: Virgo.
What is the answer to the mystery?
The data that has been obtained reveal that we are facing one of the lightest planets outside the Solar System. Among the more than 5,000 extrasolar planets that have been discovered and analyzed, this is one of the smallest, one equivalent to a quantity of only 30 Earths. In particular, what scientists do is make a comparison between WASP-107 b and the gas giant that is Jupiter. Although the exoplanet is almost twice the size of Jupiter, it is surprising that its weight is only 12% of Jupiter’s.
There is such an extreme difference in volume that although Jupiter occupies about 318 times the mass of the Earth, WASP-107 b only weighs, as we said, 30. That is what causes it to have one of the softest and cottoniest structures ever seen. have come to see in the universe. What scientists do is compare it with cotton candy that you have prepared in the microwave (although the comparison is difficult to imagine if we are not used to this type of candy).
Since it is not a new planet, scientists have had plenty of time to analyze it and try to find the explanation for what is happening. Different theories had been considered, such as that the planet was made up of a rocky layer in which a huge amount of helium was hidden. But valid theories have been arrived at that have discarded each of the previously proposed ideas. The answer, at least apparently, since it is difficult to give it definitively, has been obtained by two teams of astronomers by combining the new data from James Webb and the information they had previously.
As we said before, the reason for its shape and low weight is the low amount of methane on the planet. And now comes the important part, since it has been discovered that the interior of the planet is much hotter than initially imagined. That temperature would be causing the methane to react and mix with the cold layers, generating that effect that gives the planet its curious shape.
Now, this theory needs an additional explanation that details why it is a planet with such a high temperature interior. They say that the answer to this is found in the orbit process that the planet has around its star. Not only is it carried out in a period of only 5.7 days, but it also does not draw a perfect circle. That way in which the star interacts with the planet and has it in constant impact and movement, would be generating the interaction of methane and its reaction. So that we understand it better, they compare it with the effect of the tides that the Moon causes on the Earth.
Apparently, this effect on the orbit and the consequences of this lead to the methane being destroyed and, in its place, a huge amount of carbon monoxide and dioxide being produced. From there it has been understood that the curious tail design that the planet has is the result of how air from the atmospheric mass of WASP-107 b is being lost. This causes that queue to appear in a process, although slow, constant. Astronomers have been fascinated by this in the past and now it is something they have at least been able to explain somewhat.
For scientists, this exoplanet is one of the most curious and interesting that they have ever studied. Along with everything said above, they have also been impressed by the fact that such curious phenomena as sand showers occur. Without a doubt, it is a clear reflection of the majesty of the mysteries that the universe still has and that we are increasingly discovering outside our Solar System.
