Overview
- Jupiter-mass PSR J2322-2650b circles its pulsar host at roughly a million miles, finishing an orbit in about 7.8 hours.
- Spectra detect molecular carbon (C2 and C3) dominating alongside helium, with no signs of common molecules such as water, methane, or carbon dioxide.
- Mapped temperatures span about 650°C on the nightside to roughly 2,040°C on the dayside, indicating extreme thermal contrast and vigorous winds.
- The pulsar’s gravity stretches the world into an obvious ellipsoidal “lemon” shape, making it the most strongly tidally distorted planet yet characterized.
- Scientists say no established formation pathway explains the carbon enrichment, offering tentative ideas like interior crystallization and calling for further Webb observations.