Top 10 Strangest Planets Ever Discovered in Outer Space
The universe is a vast and a seemingly infinite place with each passing day scientists and astronomers discover new celestial objects and planets that greatly astound us with their unique and unusual characteristics from planets made entirely of diamonds to planets with a similar makeup of our own planet Earth here are the top 10 strangest planets discovered in space.
10-GJ 1214b
Discovered back in 2009 GJ 1214b is a planet that has a rather interesting makeup due to it being covered entirely in water shrouded in a thick steamy atmosphere this is why scientists named it the steamy water world the planet is basically composed of one big ocean with very limited amounts of landmass making it an inhabitable planet for human beings it's ocean however is not in any way similar to the oceans found in our planet that's because the planet's steamy atmosphere and intense gravitational pressure coming from its core causes its waters to achieve a form of hot ice called ice 7 now this is not the same ice you would put in your drinks as this ice has a strange and unfamiliar consistency leading scientists to believe that the planet is not suited for Biological life in addition the fact that it's extremely close to its host star at a distance of two million kilometers it raises the surface temperature up to 200 degrees Celsius GJ 1214b is not one of the places you would want to go for an interplanetary vacation.
9-HAT-P-1 B
Located 453 light-years away from us the extrasolar planet HAT-P-1 B rivals the size of the largest planet of our solar system Jupiter while it's technically is largest Jupiter its total mass is only 60% of Jupiter's giving it away equivalent to a court ball of the same size so if you put the planet in a tub filled with water the planet would actually float while nobody can provide a valid explanation as to how it's so large and lightweight at the same time scientists believe that the planet's ice swelled up due to tidal flexing in other words energy turns into intense heat thus causing the planet to grow in size at the same time the intense heat makes the planet truly inhabitable only time will tell whether this lightweight giant will continue to grow in size in the years to come.
8-HD-189773B
Possessing a blue color similar to our planet you would think that this extrasolar planet is a safe place to live looks can be deceiving however, as this planet holds a terrible secret this planet reigns shards of glass you see the planets blue color does not come from water rather it comes from silicate particles from the clouds condense with the planets atmospheric heat and pressure this forms glass shards that covered the entire planet giving it a blue tint similar to our oceans combined that with the deadly weather of the planet with wind speeds measuring up to two kilometers per second and anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in these winds would be set spinning across the globe with no hope of recovering add to this while getting stabbed by shards of glass coming straight at them upon discovering this you could say that the scientists expectations of finding a planet similar to ours were shattered.
7-Tress 2B
With an appearance that is literally darker than black tress to be is the darkest planet ever discovered in the known parts of the universe whereas other planets reflect a bit of light from its host star this planet reflects only 1% of its star light giving it the appearance of a black hole this phenomenon is so mysterious it led some scientists to believe that their initial findings were inaccurate and faulty since then scientists have formulated some hypothesis that could explain the planet star color it may be due to the high concentration of gaseous sodium and titanium oxide found within the planet or it may be due to the absence of ammonia clouds which are needed for gas planets like tress to be to reflect light while the hypotheses are quite feasible some think that the planet harbors a secret that is yet to be discovered could it be aliens and their overly advanced technology that's causing this who knows.
6-COROT-7B
Located 480 light-years away from Earth the exoplanet COROT-7B is one of the few planets in the universe that could possibly harbour life due to the planets earth-like composition however it's still not possible for us humans to live on this planet the reason it rains solid rocks as the planet is tidal locked in which one side experiences permanent daylight while the other experiences perpetual nighttime intense heat produced on the hotter side of the planet causes numerous volcanoes to erupt and launch magma into space these molten rocks then get flung over to the colder side of the planet where it cools down and falls onto the planet as solid rocks so if you manage to land on the planet unscathed you're basically left with two options get thoroughly cooked by the intense heat or it get frozen and pelted by solidified magma your call.
5-Gliese 436 B
This is perhaps the most intriguing exoplanet out there due to one reason alone it's covered mainly in hot ice contradictory as it may sound it is possible and Gliese of 436 B is living proof while it initially puzzled scientists, they were able to find out that the formation of hot ice is possible due to the planets unique makeup even though this planet is only six point nine million kilometers away from its host star which makes the surface heat of two 439 degrees Celsius the plates immense gravitational force makes it impossible for the water molecules to evaporate this results in the molecules bonding together to form a state of ice called ice 10 like the previously mentioned i7 this state of ice is unlike the ice we have here on earth even touching it slightly can severely burn you safe to say this planet is a literal representation of the saying hell freezes over.
4-WASP- 17B
just like HAT-P-1 B the exoplanet WASP- 17B belongs to a category called puffy planets due to a B in 19 times the size of Jupiter but having only half of its mass that would make it similar in density to polystyrene but that's not the only thing that makes it unusual this planet orbits around its hosts Sun in the opposite direction making it one of the few planets with a retrograde orbit one explanation for this activity is due to it being close to its Sun as it's only 7 million kilometers away from it this causes an intense gravitational pull making it orbit in Reverse this is also the possible explanation as to why the planet is so big yet lightweight like hat p1b another theory that scientists came up with is that some planets or stars near it affect its orbit but this theory is unfounded and further research is required however if this theory is correct this planet millions of years from now will have its orbit reversed once again allowing it to orbit around its Sun in the proper direction.
3-55 Cancri E
Diamonds are amongst the most precious minerals on earth but on the exoplanet 55 Cancri E it really isn't that precious or rare as 1/3 of the planet is made from diamonds if it was formulated into a single gem it would be larger than Earth assuming the principles of economics didn't exist it would also be worth around 26 point nine million dollars at current diamond prices that's a 1 with 30 zeros behind it amongst the super earth category of planets this one is a rather interesting entry seeing as its mass is predominantly comprised of carbon which would explain why diamonds exist on this planet as you may know diamonds are formed when carbon is introduced to crystalline materials under intense heat pressure and with the planetary average temperature of 726 degrees Celsius it's no surprise why diamonds make up one-third of the planet as it's mostly made up of diamonds it's truly a sight to behold as the diamonds give the planet a luminous of blue glow that will surely grab your attention however as it's 40 light years away from Earth you can only admire its beauty by using a powerful telescope.
2-Gliese 581 C
while there are tons of earth-like planets out there the planet Gliese 581 C is a prime candidate for the most earth-like planet at the moment having initial temperature similar to ours at zero to 40 degrees Celsius as well as supporting liquid water it's one of the few planets in the known universe that could Harbor life however more recent studies show that habitable zones are very limited on this planet as the composition and thickness of the atmosphere greatly differs among different parts of the planet still the discovery of this planet is a major breakthrough as this planet may service proof that there are other planets out there that support life forms such as our own Gliese 581c is also comparable to a recently discovered exoplanet kepler 438 b which also has earth-like properties both planets are located in their host stars habitable zone enabling liquid water to flow within the planet not only that both planets are shown to have rocky surfaces and oceans both of which are needed for a planet to become habitable still more research needs to be done on these planets as one of them needs to meet specific requirements in order for any of them to be truly habitable for us living beings.
1-J 1407 B
If you think Saturn's rings are magnificent then you'll marvel at the beauty of the rings of the exoplanet Jay 1407 B it possesses rings that are roughly 200 times larger than the rings of Saturn dubbed as the super Saturn Jay 1407 B is located four hundred and thirty-three point eight light-years away from our solar system this magnificent planet has more than 30 rings circling in each of them spanning up to hundreds of millions of kilometres in diameter in fact if you were to replace the rings of Saturn with the rings of J 1407 B we would be able to clearly see its rings during the night time as it would be more visible than a full moon according to astronomers these rings are slowly forming into exomoons a celestial process that is basically foreign to our solar system as years go by astronomers predict that these rings will eventually dissipate and disappear millions of years from now forming several exomoons that will orbit around J 1407 B for now the rings of this planet will stay for several thousands of years maybe during that time we'll have the technology sufficient for us to travel to J 1407 B and gaze upon its wondrous rings up close.
Which planets an interest to you? the most would you be willing to visit one of these planets if given the chance let me know in the comments section down below see you next time.
