Astronomers find biggest super-puff planets yet that are lighter than cotton candy
The rare pair, TOI-791 b and TOI-791 c, are the lightest known planets of their size and may help explain giant planet formation.
- On Wednesday, astronomers reported discovering two "super-puff" planets, TOI-791 b and TOI-791 c, in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. These Jupiter-sized worlds are lighter than cotton candy.
- Situated approximately 1,110 light-years away in the constellation Volans, TOI-791 b and TOI-791 c possess densities of just 0.022 and 0.027 ounces per cubic inch, respectively—far lighter than Jupiter's 0.76 ounces per cubic inch.
- Volunteers combing through NASA TESS data flagged the pair, which orbit their star in a rare 5:3 mean-motion resonance where the inner planet orbits five times for every three orbits of the outer planet.
- "Only a handful of these super-puffy planets are known, and it is even rarer to find two in the same system," said lead author George Dransfield of Oxford University. Their low densities offer unique insights into planetary evolution.
- Scientists plan to continue analyzing the system, potentially utilizing the James Webb Space Telescope to determine the chemical makeup and atmospheric conditions of these distant worlds.
120 Articles
120 Articles
NASA finds ‘puffiest’ planets so far: ‘Comparable to cotton candy’
FILE - This graphic depicts the two giant planets orbiting the Sun-like star TOI-791 as compared to some of the planets in our solar system. (NASA / Daniel Rutter) Data collected from NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) mission discovered two new "super puff" planets.The reason why these planets are described as being "puffy" is because their density is so light – despite being huge – that they’re comparable to cotton candy, acco…
Two giant planets, but with an average density lower than that of cotton candy. It is the surprising discovery of an international group of researchers that has identified around the star TOI-791, similar to the Sun and far beyond 1,110 light years from Earth, one of the rarest planetary systems known so far. The two worlds, called TOI-791 b and TOI-791 c, have dimensions comparable or even higher than those of Jupiter, but an exceptionally low …
The two planets, designated by TOI-791 b and TOI-791 c, orbit an F7-type dwarf star approximately 1,110 light-years from Earth in the southern constellation of Volans.
Two 'super-puff' cotton candy exoplanets are the lightest gas giants ever discovered
What is rarer than discovering a "super-puff" planet with densities much (much) lower than those of the solar system gas giants? Discovering two orbiting the same star.That is exactly what astronomers have done, finding two extrasolar planets, or exoplanets, that are super-puff siblings orbiting the same star. Both planets, designated TOI-791 b and TOI-791 c, have densities lower than that of cotton candy, making them the lightest exoplanets eve…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 58% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
