Astronomers have discovered two Jupiter-sized planets with less density than cotton candy, orbiting a star 1,110 light-years from Earth. The pair represent the biggest exoplanets ever found with such extraordinarily low density.
Key Takeaways
- Two newly discovered planets are Jupiter-sized but lighter than cotton candy, making them the least dense planets of their size ever found
- The planets orbit a star 1,110 light-years away and are classified as "super-puffs"
- Scientists still need to explain how planets can grow this large while maintaining such low density
What Happened
Astronomers identified a pair of giant exoplanets classified as "super-puffs" — planets the size of Jupiter but with extraordinarily low density. According to CBS News, the featherweight pair orbit a star 1,110 light-years away and are the biggest exoplanets found to have less density than cotton candy.
George Dransfield of the University of Oxford confirmed that the discovery makes them the lightest known planets of their size. The planets have been compared to "a nice blob of shaving foam" in terms of their density characteristics.
What Is Confirmed
The source material confirms that both planets are Jupiter-sized in physical dimensions but possess densities lower than cotton candy. The classification "super-puff" describes this rare combination of large size and extremely low mass.
The planets orbit a star located 1,110 light-years from Earth. This distance places them well beyond our immediate stellar neighborhood but within range of modern astronomical observation techniques. The University of Oxford's involvement in the discovery suggests European astronomical facilities contributed to the detection.
Available reports do not specify which telescope or observational method led to the discovery, nor do they name the host star system or provide the planets' formal designations.
Why It Matters
These ultra-low density planets challenge current models of planetary formation and atmospheric retention. For a planet to reach Jupiter's size while maintaining density lower than cotton candy requires specific formation conditions that scientists are still working to understand.
The discovery expands the known diversity of planetary types in our galaxy. Most gas giants studied to date have densities comparable to water or higher — these cotton candy planets represent a boundary case that tests the upper limits of how inflated a planetary atmosphere can become.
Understanding how super-puff planets form may reveal details about the early evolution of planetary systems, particularly the interplay between a planet's core formation, atmospheric composition, and proximity to its host star during formation.
What Remains Unclear
The available reports do not disclose the atmospheric composition of the two planets or the mechanisms maintaining their inflated state. Scientists typically explain low-density gas giants through atmospheric heating or the presence of light elements like hydrogen and helium, but the specific physics governing these particular planets has not been detailed.
The source material does not identify which observatory made the detection or whether the discovery has been published in a peer-reviewed journal. Without access to the full scientific study, readers cannot verify the measurement techniques, error margins, or comparative analysis with other known super-puff planets.
Details about the host star — including its age, metallicity, and the orbital parameters of the two planets — remain undisclosed. These factors directly influence planetary formation models and would help explain why these particular planets developed such low densities.
What To Watch Next
Readers should look for publication of the full discovery study in a peer-reviewed astronomy journal such as Astronomy & Astrophysics or The Astrophysical Journal. The published paper will contain detailed atmospheric modeling, density calculations, and proposed formation scenarios that the current reports do not include.
Follow-up observations using space-based telescopes could measure the planets' atmospheric spectra, revealing the chemical composition responsible for their extraordinarily low density. This data would help confirm whether hydrogen-helium dominance, atmospheric escape rates, or internal heat sources explain the inflated structure.
The University of Oxford team may release additional context about how these planets compare to other known super-puffs and whether the host star system contains additional planets with more conventional densities. Such comparative data would help isolate the formation conditions unique to cotton candy planets.
