Astronomers have discovered a pair of giant planets that are lighter than cotton candy, with densities comparable to a blob of shaving foam. The planets, which are the size of Jupiter, orbit a star 1,110 light-years away in the southern constellation Volans.
Discovery Details
The featherweight pair was detected by NASA’s TESS satellite over the past decade, and their orbits were studied using telescopes on Earth to determine their density. The planets are thought to be mostly hydrogen and helium, although follow-up observations by NASA’s Webb Space Telescope are needed to confirm their chemical makeup.
These super-puff planets are considered rare in the cosmos and are thought to form around the disk of gas and dust around a newborn star. They shed much of their material over time, stripping down to their current lightweight state.
Original reporting: 40/29 / KHBS (NW Arkansas) — read the source article.
