National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Discovers Lemon-Shaped Exoplanet PSR J2322-2650b

Key facts

• Astronomers using National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have characterized a remarkable exoplanet with an unusual lemon shaped appearance.
• Designated PSR J2322-2650b, this Jupiter-mass world orbits a rapidly spinning neutron star known as a pulsar.
• Strong gravitational tides from the compact host stretch the planet into a distinctive lemon shaped exoplanet, marking it as one of the most deformed worlds observed to date.
• The lemon shaped exoplanet completes an orbit around its pulsar every 7.8 hours, at a distance of approximately 1 million miles.
• This discovery represents the first known Jupiter-mass gaseous planet orbiting a pulsar.
• Observations with the JWST revealed an atmosphere dominated by helium and carbon, featuring detectable molecular carbon species such as C2 and C3.
• Day-side temperatures reach up to 3,700 degrees Fahrenheit, while the night side cools to about 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit.
• The pulsar’s emission is negligible in the infrared wavelengths observed by JWST, enabling a clear transmission spectrum of the planet’s atmosphere without significant contamination from the host.
• The system resembles a black widow pulsar, where the neutron star evaporates its companion, yet the planetary mass and composition do not fit standard stripping models.