Overview
- Using the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers observed PSR J2322-2650b, a roughly Jupiter-mass companion to a millisecond pulsar, with results published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
- Spectra reveal an atmosphere dominated by helium and molecular carbon (C2 and C3), a composition not previously detected on any characterized exoplanet.
- The planet circles its pulsar at about 1 million miles and completes an orbit in roughly 7.8 hours, with extreme tides stretching it into an oblong “lemon” shape.
- Scientists report soot-like carbon clouds and say carbon may condense into diamonds at depth, noting these inferences require further testing.
- Known planet-formation scenarios, including black widow–style stripping, do not account for the planet’s extreme carbon enrichment, prompting new hypotheses from the team.