Situated approximately 1,113 light years away from Earth, revolving around a single star, are two planets resembling Jupiter in size but possessing the density of cotton candy.
These recently identified exoplanets belong to a rare category known as “super-puffs” due to their exceptionally low density.
Lead author of the study detailing these peculiar planets, University of Oxford astrophysicist George Dransfield, likened them to “a nice blob of shaving foam straight from the can.”
How does a fluffy celestial entity transform into a planet 1,000 times larger than Earth?
“We do not have the definitive answer yet,” stated co-author Antoine Petit, a mathematician from France’s Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, in a conversation with As It Happens host Nil Koksal.
“There is a substantial amount of theoretical research required to comprehend how these planets manage to maintain their colossal size.”
The study unveiling these findings was released in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
What defines a super-puff?
Super-puffs are considered to be rare entities in the universe. NASA’s collection of planets beyond our solar system currently counts nearly 6,300 confirmed planets, with fewer than 40 falling under the super-puff classification.
“The presence of two such planets orbiting the same star makes this discovery particularly intriguing,” remarked Lisa Dang, an astrophysicist at the University of Waterloo in Ontario.
These enigmatic entities pose a conundrum since planets with substantial mass typically exhibit greater density, not necessarily size.
“In essence, as they accumulate more mass, they experience more gravitational force to shrink the planet,” explained Dang, who was not part of the study.
“The existence of these super-puff planets is fascinating, suggesting the presence of an internal mechanism responsible for their expansion.”
Two primary theories exist regarding the formation of these massive puffballs, as outlined by Nicolas Cowan, a physics and planetary sciences professor at McGill University in Montreal — either they are relatively young or exceptionally hot.
“They represent a gas sphere, and gas is compressible. Therefore, the planet’s size is heavily influenced by its temperature,” noted Cowan, who was not part of the discovery.
“Thus, a planet composed of similar material as Jupiter, if internally heated, would expand and increase in size, and vice versa.”
<p"Young super-puffs," he elaborated,