Exoplanet WASP-17b

in #science7 years ago

Seagull
Image source. Size comparison of WASP-17b (right) with Jupiter (left).

WASP-17b is the largest exoplanet that exists, Orbits its WASP-17 star with a periodicity of 3.7 days, that is to say that it takes that time to give it a complete turn, it is located in the constellation of Scorpius. All the planets move around their stars in the same direction as the spin of their star, at least that's what we think. WASP-17b is moving in the opposite direction to the rotation of the star around which it orbits. The discovery breaks down traditional theories about how planets form around stars. The planets form from the same disk of rotating material that gives birth to the star around which they move. So far it has been assumed that planets orbiting a star move in the same direction as the rotation of the star. This is true in our own Solar System, WASP-17b is very different. This strange form of orbit is unique in the universe and there is much uncertainty as to why it. Some scientists believe that this could be due to an old collision of the planet with another celestial object. This collision would have changed its orbit forever.

In our solar system the largest planet is Jupiter that would become the 5th planet in distance to the Sun after Mars and before Saturn. This planet is about 1400 times larger than Earth and even if we put together all the planets of this solar system, we would need an approximate 15 planets of each to form another Jupiter in it. Jupiter has multiple moons even, some 16 recognized as such which demonstrate the supremacy of this planet in our system.

Going a little further, you can get an innumerable amount of solar systems different from ours and therefore planets much larger than Jupiter in comparison. One of them and the largest known nowadays by mankind, is the planet WASP-17b, this gigantic planet was discovered on August 11, 2009 by David Anderson, this planet has a mass of 1.6 times the mass of Saturn and Of 1.5 to 2 the diameter of jupiter but, curiously, only half of its mass. Which also makes it the least dense planet known.

More details here: WASP-17b



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