
April 12 is the Day of Cosmonautics. In 1961, on this day, the first man flew into space – Yuri Gagarin. His mission was to fly around the Earth – a planet about which we, its inhabitants, know a lot. But there are many planets in space that can amaze us with their characteristics. The universe is weird and planets in the Universe are weirder. Some of these planets are terrifying to even think about. Sometimes, you just look at the sky and want to be grateful for the Earth to be the only planet that life exists. Or is it?
In this blog, we will look at the planets with the strangest physical characteristics. Let’s start then.
The youngest planet
V830 Tauri b is an exoplanet orbiting the young star V830 Tauri, about 427 light-years from the Sun. V830 Tauri b is the youngest planet discovered – only about 2 million years old. By comparison, the Earth is 4.54 billion years old.
The loneliest planet
An exoplanet called HD 106906 b lies in the Southern Cross’s constellation, about 300 light-years from the Sun.
It is 97 billion kilometers away from the parent star and can safely bear the title of the “loneliest” planet.
The accepted theory of stellar systems formation cannot explain such a remoteness of the planet from its star. Because of “loneliness,” the planet is rapidly cooling down, but because of its small age (about 13 million years – about 350 times less than the age of the Earth), it still retained heat from the time of its formation.
The darkest planet
TrES-2b is a black gas giant that orbits the star GSC 03549-02811 and is 750 light-years from the solar system. For 14 years of exploration, this planet is considered the darkest known. TrES-2b reflects only 0.1% of the light reaching it – it is darker than black paint or soot.
The temperature of the planet’s atmosphere is over 980 ° C. It is so hot that it gives off dull red light, like the glow of heated coals.
The lightest planet
Of the exoplanets discovered to date, the smallest mass is PSR B1257 + 12 A, located in the constellation Virgo, about 2,300 light-years away. Its mass is about 2% of the mass of the Earth.
By the way, PSR B1257 + 12 A has an official name chosen by the International Astronomical Union. The planet was named Draugr in honor of a creature from Scandinavian mythology – a revived dead man close to vampires.
The hottest planet
KELT-9 b is an exoplanet located in the constellation Cygnus at about 620 light-years from the Sun. It orbits one of the largest stars with planets, which explains the incredibly high temperature of KELT-9 b.
The planet is heated to 4327 ° C – higher than in the outer layers of the Sun.
At this temperature, molecules begin to disintegrate, and behind the planet itself, as it moves, there is a tail, like from a comet.