Facts about WASP-193B b: A cotton candy like exoplanet

WASP-193 b has a density of approximately 0.059 grams per centimeter cubed (g/cm3), which is comparable to cotton candy. For context, Jupiter has a density of 1.33 g/cm3, Saturn has a density of 0.69 g/cm3, Uranus has a density of 1.27 g/cm3, and Neptune has a density of 1.64 g/cm3. Therefore, despite being larger than Jupiter, WASP-193b’s density is far less than the largest gas giant in our solar system.

Using the transit method, astronomers detected WASP-193 b using the Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP) project as they gathered data between 2006 and 2008 and once again between 2011 and 2012. Through this, the astronomers were able to ascertain WASP-193 b’s planetary characteristics, specifically its orbital period, size, and density, as the exoplanet passed in front of its parent star.

WASP-193 b is the second least dense planet discovered to date, after Kepler-51 d, which is much smaller," said Dr. Khalid Barkaoui, who is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Liège’s EXOTIC Laboratory and first author of the study. “Its extremely low density makes it a real anomaly among the more than five thousand exoplanets discovered to date. This extremely-low-density cannot be reproduced by standard models of irradiated gas giants, even under the unrealistic assumption of a coreless structure.” The researchers hypothesize that while WASP-193 b is comprised of hydrogen and helium, just like Jupiter, its atmosphere is tens of thousands of times more extensive than Jupiter, which could explain its extremely low density. However, the exact processes responsible for explaining this phenomenon are what researchers hope to uncover in the future.

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