FILE – This graphic depicts the two giant planets orbiting the Sun-like star TOI-791 as compared to some of the planets in our solar system. (NASA / Daniel Rutter)
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Data collected from NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) mission discovered two new “super puff” planets.
The reason why these planets are described as being “puffy” is because their density is so light – despite being huge – that they’re comparable to cotton candy, according to NASA.
Dig deeper:
The two planets have been named TOI-791 b and TOI-791 c.
They are being described as the “puffiest” worlds ever found by NASA.
Both planets are orbiting a sun-like star named TOI-791 that is approximately 1,113 light years away from Earth.
The planets have unusually long orbits and are actually locked into an orbital pattern that allows them to pull at each other gravitationally.
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By the numbers:
TOI-791 b is nearly the same size as Jupiter but it only has about 3% of Jupiter’s mass, NASA explained.
TOI-791 c is bigger than Jupiter but only has about 5.9% of Jupiter’s mass.
What they’re saying:
“Only a handful of these super-puffy planets are known, and it is even rarer to find two in the same system,” said lead author George Dransfield of Oxford University’s Department of Physics in Oxford, England. “Their extremely low densities make them fascinating targets for understanding how planetary systems form and evolve.”
What’s next:
Scientists hope that further study of these puffy planets can inform us about planetary evolution.
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