NASA has announced the discovery of a planet called WASP-193b, which is located 1,181 light years away from Earth. This incredible celestial body is unlike any other exoplanet ever found, as it is 50 percent larger than Jupiter but has a density that is remarkably low, making it fluffy like cotton candy. In fact, WASP-193b is the second-least dense exoplanet ever discovered, with a density of just 0.059 grams per cubic centimeter, which makes it seven times less dense than Jupiter and one percent less dense than Earth.
A study published in the journal Nature Astronomy explains that WASP-193b orbits a star similar in size to our Sun every 6.2 days at a distance of around seven percent the distance between Earth and the Sun. The planet’s low density baffles scientists, with study co-author Khalid Barkaoui calling it a “cosmic mystery.”
Julien de Wit, another study co-author and professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, likened WASP-193b to cotton candy due to its extremely fluffy nature. He explained that the planet’s composition is similar to air, making it unlike any solid material known on Earth. The researchers are now planning to use the James Webb Space Telescope to further study WASP-193b and understand more about this strange and intriguing planet.
