Extraordinary Discovery: Two 'Super-Puff' Planets Lighter Than Cotton Candy
Two noteworthy planets, dubbed 'super-puff' due to their incredibly low density, have been found by scientists. These planets, although larger than Jupiter, are lighter than cotton candy, making them some of the least dense giant planets that have been discovered to date.
A Distant Duo
The duo of planets circles a dwarf star located approximately 1,110 light-years away from our planet, in the southern constellation known as Volans. Despite being similar in size to Jupiter, they are exceptionally diffuse. Jupiter's density is 1.33 grams per cubic centimeter, whereas the density of these new 'super-puff' planets is only 0.038 grams per cubic centimeter and 0.047 grams per cubic centimeter, making them 28 to 35 times lighter.
Their densities are even less than cotton candy, which is typically about 0.05 grams per cubic centimeter. For comparison, the density of Earth is 5.5 grams per cubic centimeter.
Sibling Planets
These planets are considered 'siblings,' thought to have been formed from the same disc of gas and dust surrounding their parent star. They are connected in a rare gravitational relationship known as a 5:3 mean-motion resonance. This means that for every five orbits completed by the inner planet, the outer one completes almost exactly three.
The gravitational interaction between the two results in a constant 'tug' on each other. This tug-of-war causes measurable shifts in the timing of their transits across the host star. Super-puffy planets are rare, and it is even more unusual to find two in the same system. Their incredibly low densities make them fascinating targets for understanding how planetary systems form and evolve.
The Role of Citizen Scientists and Antarctic Telescope
The initial identification of these potential planets was made by volunteers participating in a project that searches for possible new worlds. Further confirmation of their status as planets was obtained by measuring their sizes and masses using various telescopes around the globe, including one situated in the Antarctic.
The continuous darkness of the Antarctic winter offered a unique advantage for their telescope, allowing astronomers to capture the planets' exceptionally long transits, each lasting over 11 hours, without interruption. This is the longest continuous planetary transit ever observed in entirety from the ground.
Transits and Their Importance
Transits play a vital role in this kind of research. When a planet passes in front of its host star, the star's light dims slightly, revealing the planet's size. Minor variations in the timing of the transits were detected, caused by the gravitational pull between the two planets as they orbit the star. By analyzing these timing shifts, scientists were able to estimate the planets' masses and calculate their remarkably low densities.
The Formation Mystery and Future Investigations
How super-puff planets form is still a topic of debate among astronomers. The research team plans to conduct additional investigations to gain more insight into how these unusual planets came into existence and to eliminate certain possible explanations.
Future space-based observations are planned to determine if the puffy atmosphere of these planets contains carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen-bearing species, offering new insight into how these rare planets formed.
Two noteworthy planets, dubbed 'super-puff' due to their incredibly low density, have been found by scientists. These planets, although larger than Jupiter, are lighter than cotton candy, making them some of the least dense giant planets that have been discovered to date.
A Distant Duo
The duo of planets circles a dwarf star located approximately 1,110 light-years away from our planet, in the southern constellation known as Volans. Despite being similar in size to Jupiter, they are exceptionally diffuse. Jupiter's density is 1.33 grams per cubic centimeter, whereas the density of these new 'super-puff' planets is only 0.038 grams per cubic centimeter and 0.047 grams per cubic centimeter, making them 28 to 35 times lighter.
Their densities are even less than cotton candy, which is typically about 0.05 grams per cubic centimeter. For comparison, the density of Earth is 5.5 grams per cubic centimeter.
Sibling Planets
These planets are considered 'siblings,' thought to have been formed from the same disc of gas and dust surrounding their parent star. They are connected in a rare gravitational relationship known as a 5:3 mean-motion resonance. This means that for every five orbits completed by the inner planet, the outer one completes almost exactly three.
The gravitational interaction between the two results in a constant 'tug' on each other. This tug-of-war causes measurable shifts in the timing of their transits across the host star. Super-puffy planets are rare, and it is even more unusual to find two in the same system. Their incredibly low densities make them fascinating targets for understanding how planetary systems form and evolve.
The Role of Citizen Scientists and Antarctic Telescope
The initial identification of these potential planets was made by volunteers participating in a project that searches for possible new worlds. Further confirmation of their status as planets was obtained by measuring their sizes and masses using various telescopes around the globe, including one situated in the Antarctic.
The continuous darkness of the Antarctic winter offered a unique advantage for their telescope, allowing astronomers to capture the planets' exceptionally long transits, each lasting over 11 hours, without interruption. This is the longest continuous planetary transit ever observed in entirety from the ground.
Transits and Their Importance
Transits play a vital role in this kind of research. When a planet passes in front of its host star, the star's light dims slightly, revealing the planet's size. Minor variations in the timing of the transits were detected, caused by the gravitational pull between the two planets as they orbit the star. By analyzing these timing shifts, scientists were able to estimate the planets' masses and calculate their remarkably low densities.
The Formation Mystery and Future Investigations
How super-puff planets form is still a topic of debate among astronomers. The research team plans to conduct additional investigations to gain more insight into how these unusual planets came into existence and to eliminate certain possible explanations.
Future space-based observations are planned to determine if the puffy atmosphere of these planets contains carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen-bearing species, offering new insight into how these rare planets formed.