US EditionLemon-Shaped World Is the Most Stretched-Out Planet Ever Seen
PSR J2322-2650b orbits a pulsar every 7.8 hours, exhibiting a lemon shape and a carbon-rich atmosphere unlike any other, challenging existing planetary formation theories.
- December 16, 2025, James Webb observed PSR J2322-2650b, a Jupiter-mass world in a 7.8-hour orbit around a pulsar, stretched into a lemon shape with an exotic helium-and-carbon atmosphere.
- Researchers say known formation mechanisms cannot explain the planet's carbon-rich atmosphere, as producing it requires removing oxygen and nitrogen and authors note that "nuclear physics does not make pure carbon."
- Infrared spectra reveal molecular carbon C3 and C2, with the NASA Webb Mission Team saying, `Soot clouds likely float through the air, and deep within the planet, these carbon clouds can condense and form diamonds.`
- Researchers say the discovery challenges planetary-formation theories and, because the pulsar backdrop provides a dim view, James Webb Space Telescope obtained a pristine orbit study not feasible from ground-based telescopes.
- Conditions are extreme, with temperatures ranging from 1,200 F to 3,700 F and estimates of at least 650°C even in the coolest regions; the astronomical community says this may signal broader diversity in planet formation.
42 Articles
42 Articles
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NASA amazed after discover of strange lemon-shaped planet
A new discovery made using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) may be the weirdest exoplanet yet. The planet, designated PSR J2322-2650b, has an atmosphere unlike any other yet discovered, and the team behind the discovery can't explain how such a planet came to be.
An unusual object orbiting a rapidly rotating star could be a new phenomenon in the universe.
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