Scientists have discovered a planet that is almost three times bigger than Jupiter, is hotter than most stars in the solar system, and sports a comet-like tail of gas. The planet, Kelt-9B, was first spotted by telescope when it clipped past its host star, which is twice is hot as the sun and resides some 650 light-years away from Earth.
The heat beating down on Kelt-9B may cause it to meet an early demise. The Guardian noted that the extreme heat makes it so the planet "puffs up like a
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soufflé to create a world nearly three times as massive as Jupiter but only half as dense." The constant stream of radiation might eventually evaporate the planet's atmosphere, whittling the planet down to its core — or causing it to completely disappear.
In the meantime, Gaudi says his team plans to further study this planet, which is "under the most extreme conditions, basically, that we've seen any kind of giant planet experience."
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