A NASA telescope has revealed a ‘candyfloss’ planet – but it’s not as fun as it sounds.
In fact, the newly discovered ‘candyfloss’ planet rains sand.
While it might look delicious this fluffy ‘candyfloss’ planet found 200 light-years from Earth has a poisonous atmosphere.
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What’s more, it rains sand as well as having scorching temperatures, raging winds and smelling of sulphur dioxide.
The large planet’s official name is actually WASP-107b.
To put its size into perspective it’s 30 times bigger than Earth.
It lies in in orbit around a star in the constellation of Virgo.
The constellation can actually be seen in the night sky.
But rather than just gazing at it, for the first time NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revealed detailed info.
And, with an atmosphere containing – poisonous sulphur dioxide, water vapour and clouds of sand – it’s not somewhere to head for a holiday.
As this astronaut revealed, even in the best of cases, time in space can have an impact on you.
And the photos of these two identical-twin NASA employees is proof of that.
Back to the NASA telescope findings.
“We are unravelling new worlds,” astronomer and one of the authors of a study at CEA, Dr Achrene Dyrek, said.
She explained that the JWST was allowing scientists to learn more about planets we’ve never seen before.
The ‘candyfloss’ planet was actually first discovered in 2017.
And its fluffiness was one of the planet’s first things scientists noticed.
And this quality of the ‘candyfloss’ planet is what allowed astronomers to look around 50 times deeper into its atmosphere than other similar-sized planets.
Even ones that are much closer and in our own solar system – like Jupiter.
Speaking of closer to home, it’s been a big year for space discoveries within our own solar system.
Footage of Martian landscapes emerged as well as actual samples of an asteroid being captured.
Back to the ‘candyfloss’ planet and WASP-107b orbits a star that is, in fact, cooler than our own Sun.
As a result it produces fewer high-energy photons that are responsible for chemical reactions.
Despite this lack of photons, the fluffy atmosphere surrounding the ‘candyfloss’ planet means they can still get into the atmosphere.
This allows chemical changes to happen.
“The discovery of clouds of sand, water, and sulphur dioxide on this fluffy exoplanet is a pivotal milestone,” the study’s lead author from KU Leuven, Leen Decin, said.
“It reshapes our understanding of planetary formation and evolution, shedding new light on our own Solar System.”
And it’s hoped these discoveries keep coming as the US heads back to the moon.
NASA has also generated enough oxygen to sustain a human on Mars.
Keep your eyes on the skies – and checking in here – for more information as it’s discovered.
