As discoveries involved so far “hot Jupiters,” we have now a study that suggests a “warm Jupiter” deep in space. NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite identified the new planet called, for now, TOI-677b, and it is thought to be 23 percent larger than Jupiter.
Scientists spotted new “warm Jupiter” exoplanet
TOI-677b orbits its star every 11,23 days, which is a big difference considering that “hot Jupiter” planets do that in more than 100 days. Researchers explained: “Warm Jupiters can be formed via secular gravitational interactions with an outer planet followed by tidal interactions with the star in the high eccentricity stage of the secular cycle.”
The host star has an approximate temperature on its surface of 6,300 Kelvin. It is also estimated to be by 18 percent larger than our Sun, and it has a more significant radius of 28 percent higher. To get a clearer image of how things are, imagine that the Sun has an area temperature of 5,778 Kelvin.
Until now, scientists have identified many so-called “hot Jupiters,” such as WASP-121b, with the most intriguing shape, one of a football, 900 light-years from Earth. Another discovery involved KELT-9b identified as a “hot Jupiter” in 2017.
Why are they called “hot Jupiter” exoplanets?
The reason why are called “hot Jupiters” is that they are exoplanets full of gas, similar to Jupiter, the only difference is that they are warmer. However, Jupiter’s hot temperature hits such a high rate because of its distance from the Sun.
Moreover, in the clouds, temperatures reach almost 234 degrees Fahrenheit on average, and near the center of the planet, the temperature reaches 43,000 degrees Fahrenheit, according to NASA. Also, the Space Agency discovered more than 4,000 exoplanets so far, and scientists are now looking for more than 3,000 “candidates” that need an advanced examination to see if they are real. NASA is known for its continuous work of discovering more exoplanets, and more information about the found ones.