Space and Science

‘Extreme’ exoplanet found orbiting hot blue star

CNN  — 

Taking a second glance in space can be rewarding, especially when a closer look reveals a weird exoplanet.

An ultra-hot exoplanet with searing temperatures that can turn iron from a solid to a gas has been detected orbiting a star 322 light-years away in the Libra constellation. The observation was made by the European Space Agency’s Cheops mission, or Characterising Exoplanet Satellite.

This celestial body is the first finding of the mission, which launched in December 2019. Although the planet was first detected in 2018, Cheops has provided more details about this strange world. Cheops has a unique mission in that it follows up on stars known to host exoplanets and characterizes any planets around them.

The planet, called WASP-189 b, is considered to be one of the hottest and most extreme exoplanets ever