Overview
- JWST detected clear signatures of molecular carbon chains C2 and C3 with oxygen and nitrogen largely absent, yielding extraordinary carbon-to-oxygen and carbon-to-nitrogen ratios.
- The Jupiter-mass body orbits its pulsar in about 7.8 hours at roughly one million miles, where intense tides stretch it into an elongated, lemon-like shape.
- Mapped temperatures reach about 3,700 degrees Fahrenheit on the dayside and about 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit on the nightside, with heat patterns offset in ways models did not predict.
- Researchers report signs of material flowing from the companion toward the pulsar, indicating active mass transfer in the tightly bound system.
- The object’s origin remains unresolved, with hypotheses such as a stripped stellar remnant under consideration and further observations and modeling planned.