Today, the fact that Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, is 318 times more massive than Earth hardly surprises anyone. If its mass is 2 times the mass of all other planets combined. But there are such giants in the universe that His Majesty Jupiter himself looks like a dwarf.
Astrophysicists have discovered the exoplanet WASP-17B in outer space, a shocking discovery. It is relatively not far from Earth – thousands of light-years. The study found that celestial bodies do not conform to either logic or the laws of physics.
WASP-17b was the first planet to have a retrograde orbit. Simply put, it orbits the parent star, in the opposite direction of the star's motion. But the dimensions of the WASP-17B are even more impressive. Imagine that it is almost twice the size of Jupiter. Its radius exceeds that of all known exoplanets. Paradoxically, so far, scientists have believed that the planet could not be that big.
Astronomers call it the largest planet in the universe studied, and it is not only larger than similar objects, but even surpasses some stars. For example, dwarf stars like OGLE-TR-122, which are quite large by cosmic standards, lag behind WASP-17B in size.
Scientists have not been able to fully explain the existence of this exoplanet. If we explain this phenomenon from a scientific point of view, then WASP-17B should not exist in the universe at all. It defies all the laws of physics and completely turns astronomers' thinking on its head, making possible the possibility of such incredible giants in space.
Despite its size, the density of the WASP-17B is extremely low, which is perhaps the main secret of its size. For this reason, astrophysicists list it as a so-called loose planet. Despite having a double advantage over Jupiter in terms of volume, this exoplanet has only half the mass of Jupiter.
Space explorers do not stand still, and over the years, more and more new objects appear in the catalog of celestial bodies. Not so long ago, it became known that WASP-17B could lose its status as the largest exoplanet. It can be replaced by HAT-P-67B.
According to uncertain mathematical calculations, it may indeed be larger than the giant described. In addition, due to the extremely low surface density, HAT-P-67B can also receive the title of the most "loose" planet.
The new giant star is so close to its star that it is able to complete a circle around it in less than five days. Recently, scientists have discovered another breaker of the laws of logic and physics in the universe. It is so close to the parent luminaire that it should not exist. But more on that next time.