#8 Wasp-12b - A Planet That's Eating Up Light (1 photo)
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20 Strange Planets That Are Both Interesting And Terrifying
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WASP-12b is one of the darkest known exoplanets — the day side of the planet eats light rather than reflects it into space. The exoplanet, which is twice the size of Jupiter, has the unique capability to trap at least 94 percent of the visible starlight falling into its atmosphere. The temperature of the atmosphere is a seething 4,600 °F (8,312 °C). The day side hoards all the visible light because it always faces its star. The planet orbits so close to its host that it has fixed day and night sides. WASP-12b completes an orbit once a day. The night side is much cooler, with temperatures roughly 2,200 °F (3,992 °C), which allows water vapor and clouds to form. A swirl of material from the planet’s super-heated atmosphere is spilling onto its star. This oddball exoplanet is one of a class of so-called "hot Jupiters" that orbit very close to their host star and are heated to enormous temperatures.
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