Hubble Space Telescope Discovers Pitch Black Exoplanet
A distant planet outside the solar system has caught the attention of NASA scientists after it was observed by the Hubble Space Telescope "eating" light instead of reflecting it.
Researchers found that the peculiar planet has the unique ability to trap at least 94 percent of the visible starlight that enters its atmosphere. Named WASP-12b, the exoplanet is described as being "as black as asphalt" due to the way it consumes light.
WASP-12b is classified as a "hot Jupiter," a gas giant that heats up to extreme temperatures due to its close proximity to its host star which is about 1400 light-years away from our Solar System. Considering its circumstances, the planet's penchant for consuming light is even more bizarre.
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"We did not expect to find such a dark exoplanet," said Taylor Bell of McGill University and the Institute for Research on Exoplanets in Montreal, the lead researcher of the Hubble study. "Most hot Jupiters reflect about 40 percent of starlight."
However, this could be the reason for the planet's ability, WASP-12b is just too hot to reflect heat. On its fixed day side, temperatures regularly reach 4,600 degrees Fahrenheit, way too hot for any molecule to survive. This prevents any clouds from forming which then reflect light back to space instead of letting it go deeper into the atmosphere.
The planet's night side is marginally hot compared the day side – more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit cooler. However, this is enough for vapor to form and has been observed by Hubble which highlighted the stark differences between the planet's day/night boundary.
According to Bell, the new Hubble research further demonstrates the vast diversity among the strange population of hot Jupiters. There are planets like WASP-12b with temperatures 4,600 degrees Fahrenheit as well as similar planets with 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit, and both are still referred to as hot Jupiters.
Researchers have been studying WASP-12b since its discovery back in 2008.
