These are the most extreme planets ever discovered
The search for extraterrestrial life hosted on Earth-like planets has been leading scientists to the most distant corners of the known Universe, and the journey has been filled with plenty of surprises. Researchers have come across unusual planets, that range from the hottest planet discovered so far to the one having the worst weather. Here are the 6 most extreme planets discovered so far by NASA scientists.
The hottest
KELT-9b is a planet that revolves around a star called HD 195689 (also known as KELT-9). KELT-9 is 2,5 times more massive than our sun and has a surface temperature of almost 10,000°C, while the planet KELT-9b revolves around it in 1,5 days (by comparison, Mercury, the planet in our solar system which is closest to the sun, completes its orbit in 88 days). KELT-9b is a Jupiter-like gas giant that has a surface temperature of 4300°C, which is hotter than many stars with a mass lower than our sun.
The biggest
Planet DENIS-P J082303.1-491201 b has a mass that is 28,5 times the mass of Jupiter. It is so massive that astronomers are still debating whether its huge mass should lead to its inclusion into the category of brown dwarf stars.
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The youngest
Being only 2 million years old, planetary system V830 Tauri has a host star that is yet to contract in its final shape. The planet is a gas giant that most probably is still growing, which only means that it is a rather unsafe place, as collisions with other planetary bodies are possible in this time.
The smallest
Kepler-37b is the smallest exoplanet discovered so far, being just slightly larger than our Moon and only slightly smaller than Mercury.
The coldest
OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb is the coldest planet discovered so far, with a freezing -223°C, which is only 50 degrees above the absolute zero. Its host star is a red dwarf, which is a low mass cool star.
The oldest
PSR B1620-26 b is the oldest planet in the solar system, at 12.7 billion years old. What is really intriguing about this planet is that it has two host stars rotating around each other, and it has outseen the life of both.
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