Believe it or not, the universe doesn’t revolve around Earth. Earth revolves around the Sun. Outside of the Milky Way there are many, many planets. They are called exoplanets and they can look very different from the planets here. These exoplanets can get quite odd. We are used to the nice land and water here on Earth. The average 59° Fahrenheit temperature of Earth allows humans and other life forms to survive here.  

WASP-107 b is an exoplanet known as “warm Neptune.” It is only 80% the size of Jupiter. But its mass is 10% of Jupiter’s mass. It has a large core and a mass of helium and hydrogen. It is tidal locked, which means the planet has a permanent light side and a permanent dark side. It doesn’t have a day and night cycle. The cycle around its star is elliptical. That causes it to go towards and away from the star during its orbit. It is one of the lightest weighing exoplanets that have been found.

The next planet, HR 5183 b, is quite interesting. It is a gas giant that is 3.23 times the mass of Jupiter and has a period of 74 years. That just means that it takes 74 years to complete an orbit around its host star. The interesting thing about this planet is its orbit. It has an eccentric orbit. That means that it’s not circular. This planet is also known as the “whiplash planet.” That is because it gets close to the star that it orbits and speeds by in that section of orbit. 

KELT-9 b is the hottest known exoplanet that has been discovered. It has a period of 1.5 days on Earth and it is also tidal locked. The host star causes the atmosphere to puff up. That means the atmosphere is inflated more than it should be based on the mass of the planet. It has a mass 2.8 times that of Jupiter but it’s half as dense. On the side that is facing the star that it orbits, temperatures can reach 7,800° F. On the surface of Sol (our sun) the temperature is 9,930° F. So this planet is only 2,130° F cooler than the sun. Carbon dioxide and water probably just can not exist on this planet. A professor of physics named Keivan Stassun said that “KELT-9 radiates so much ultraviolet radiation that it may completely evaporate the planet.” Using newer technology like the Hubble and James Webb Telescopes, scientists might be able to detect if it has a tail (like a comet). That would show that it is evaporating. 

TrES-2 b is known as “the planet of eternal night” and “a world of eternal darkness.” Those names seem pretty cool, and, luckily, the exoplanet lives up to the hype. It is a gas giant close to the size of Jupiter. It is thought to be tidally locked. The planet reflects less than 1% of the light from its host star. The exoplanet emits a red glow. Scientists think it is from the burning atmosphere. It is the darkest known planet that has been discovered. I think it is incredible that technology has evolved enough that this kind of planet can even be discovered. 

55 Cancri e is a hot planet that is very close to its host star. It is known as a super Earth and “the diamond planet.” It has a period of less than 18 Earth hours. The temperature can get to around 4,890° F. It is about twice the size of Earth and was thought to be made of diamonds and graphite. More recent discoveries show that it does have quite a lot of carbon, but not as much as what was thought before. It also has an interesting property where gases on the planet are in a state that is very liquid-like. 

TOI 849 b is a gas giant that orbits around its host star. Its surface temperature is estimated to be around 2,800° F. The planet pays the price for being so close to the star. The atmosphere of the planet is either non-existent or very similar to that. There are multiple theories of why there is no atmosphere. The atmosphere could have been torn from the planet, it might have had collided with another object or it was formed in a spot where there was not enough material to have atmospheric gasses. This planet could be very important to research about the cores of gas giants in our solar system.

HD 189733 b is about the size of Jupiter and takes 2.2 Earth days to complete an orbit around its host star. It is most likely tidal locked to its star. It has a blue color from reflections of clouds with silicate particles. The planet is known for its “rains of terror.” Winds of this planet can get up to 5,400 mph. That is about seven times the speed of sound. Some studies have shown that it rains molten glass instead of water. This planet makes me dislike storms just a tad bit more than I do already. 

Through the research for this article, I wondered why exoplanets were so often compared to Jupiter. I will try to find more information about this question. These exoplanets are cool and scary, but exciting to learn about. 

Information from science.nasa.gov and space.com.