Earth is a rocky and heavy planet due to its size, but gas planets Their density can be quite low depending on the gases they contain. The planet found in the study led by MIT researchers resembles a giant cotton candy and is the second-lightest planet ever discovered.

Located in the Milky Way Galaxy and WASP-193b The so-called planet actually sparks several scientific debates with its structure. Because even Jupiter is small compared to this planet, but its mass is much lower than the mass of Jupiter.

Fluffy Jupiter

The study, conducted by the MIT team and researchers from the University of Liège in Belgium, enormous volume and low density It also shows how rare the structures are. Khalid Barkaoui, lead author of the study, describes this exoplanet as “an extreme example of the class of Fluffy Jupiters.”

This planet, which is 1232 light years away from Earth, WASP-193 It orbits a sun-like star called. On the other hand, this planet is a very interesting structure for astronomers and not easy to observe. Because WASP-193 b, despite its massive structure, has such a low density that traditional gravity calculation methods don’t work. The planet’s gravity is virtually negligible.

The observation of the planet composed of hydrogen and helium is completed a four-year study It was possible with . Researchers are now trying to understand how a planet so large but so light could have formed.

Research nature astronomyIt was published in .