IT’S been nearly 40 years since the first planet outside of our Solar System was discovered.
Since then, more than 5,800 weird and wonderful worlds across 4,300 planetary systems have been located.
Gas giant WASP-127b has extremely powerful, supersonic winds[/caption]
WASP-127b: Supersonic winds
Gas giant WASP-127b has extremely powerful, supersonic winds.
Scientists believe it is home to the fastest jetstream in the known universe.
Its wind is so fast, at nearly 33,000km per hour, that it would strip the flesh of any astro-tourist off the bone.
The fastest ever winds discovered in our own Solar System occur on Neptune – only reaching as much as 1,200mph.
Nasa has branded HD 189733 b one of the “most terrifying and mind-blowing destinations” in our galaxy[/caption]
HD 189733 b: Stinky planet that rains glass
This hellish planet is infamous for two reasons: its deadly weather and its smell.
According to data captured by the James Webb Space Telescope, planet HD 189733 b has an atmosphere that stinks of rotten eggs.
Scientists know this because of the presence of hydrogen sulfide in its atmosphere, which would make the planet smell like sulfur.
The planet is roughly the size of Jupiter, the largest in our solar system, which means it could fit around 1,300 Earth’s inside it, according to Nasa.
But unlike Jupiter which is deathly cold, HD 189733 b sits closer to its own version of the sun, earning it the common astro-nickname of “hot Jupiter”.
Even on its dark side, HD 189733 b reaches temperatures north of 650°C (1,200°F).
This alien world also rains glass, sideways, in Tempest-dwarfing winds.
“Getting caught in the rain on this planet is more than an inconvenience,” according to Nasa. “It’s death by a thousand cuts.”
TrES-2b reflects less than 1% of any light that hits it[/caption]
TrES-2b: The darkest exoplanet
Nasa’s eagle-eyed Kepler Space Telescope spotted TrES-2b – the darkest known exoplanet – in 2011.
It reflects less than 1% of any light that hits it, allowing it to be nearly entirely disguised against the inky blackness of space.
“It’s darker than the blackest lump of coal, than dark acrylic paint you might paint with,” said David Kipping from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who co-discovered the planet.
“It’s just ridiculous how dark this planet is.”
Scientists believe the planet is too hot to support any cloud cover, which can reflect light and make planets easily detectable to astronomers.
Artist’s impression of the star KELT-9 and its planet KELT-9b, the hottest known exoplanet Credit: MPIA https://www.foxnews.com/science/this-exoplanet-is-so-hot-its-boiling-off-its-atmosphere[/caption]
KELT-9b: The hottest exoplanet
KELT-9b is not just your average “hot Jupiter” – a name given to gas giants that have an orbit shorter than 10 days.
It’s actually the hottest exoplanet ever discovered, with a surface temperature of 4,300°C/7,800°F.
That’s hotter than most stars.
It also has an orbital period of just 36 days – making a year on the planet last no more than 1.5days.
“The weirdness factor is high with KELT-9 b,” said John Ahlers, an astronomer at Universities Space Research Association in Columbia, Maryland, and Nasa’s Goddard Space Flight Centre.
“It’s a giant planet in a very close, nearly polar orbit around a rapidly rotating star, and these features complicate our ability to understand the star and its effects on the planet.”
Kepler-452b could be habitable, according to scientists[/caption]
Kepler-452b: Earth 2.0
For a planet to be habitable, it needs to be within something called the “Goldilocks” zone – where water can exist in liquid form on the planet’s surface.
Kepler-452b could be habitable, according to scientists, which arguably makes it one of the strangest planets ever discovered.
Of all the exoplanets ever discovered, just a handful have been found in their star’s “Goldilocks” zone.
Most planets beyond Earth host conditions that are incompatible with life as we know it – be it powerful winds or scorching temperatures.
Kepler-452b is the first near-Earth-size planet that orbits around a star the size of the sun, according to Nasa.
It is roughly 60% larger than Earth, which gives it a higher chance of being rocky.
It takes Kepler-452b just 20 days longer to orbit its star than Earth does – making our year roughly the same length.
All you need to know about planets in our solar system
Our solar system is made up of nine planets with Earth the third closest to the Sun. But each planet has its own quirks, so find out more about them all…
- How old is Earth? Plus other facts on our planet
- How many moons does Mercury have?
- What colour is Venus?
- How far away is Mars to Earth? And other facts on the red planet
- How big is Jupiter?
- How many moons does Saturn have?
- Does Uranus have rings?
- How many moons does Neptune have?
- How big is Pluto?
- How hot is the Sun?
