Astronomers have identified a peculiar exoplanet beyond our solar system that resembles something out of science fiction yet is completely authentic. Designated PSR J2322-2650 b, this planet features a helium-and-carbon atmosphere, a situation researchers have not previously encountered. Its atmosphere may include soot clouds, and deep inside, carbon might crystallize into solid forms, potentially leading to diamonds.

This takes place on a lemon-shaped planet orbiting a pulsar, a variety of neutron star that rotates and emits light akin to a lighthouse in the cosmos. Observations were conducted using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.

“Our shared reaction was ‘What on earth is this?'” remarked Peter Gao, a coauthor of the recent study from Carnegie Earth and Planets Laboratory, in a statement. “It’s immensely different from our expectations.”

A colossal planet weighing as much as Jupiter with a carbon-dense atmosphere, orbiting a deceased star, contradicts any recognized planetary model, pushing the boundaries of established theories about planetary formation and stamina. The results, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, suggest that planetary systems can survive under more extreme conditions than was previously understood.

The latest study revealed that the immense gravitational force from its neighboring star, located roughly 750 light-years from Earth, distorts and compresses the planet into a lemon configuration.

The planet revolves around a pulsar, the compact core left after a colossal star detonates. This star, PSR J2322-2650, possesses about the same mass as the sun within a space no larger than a city. As it spins at high speeds, it releases continuous streams of energy.

“The planet orbits a star that’s utterly strange,” said Michael Zhang from the University of Chicago, the lead investigator of the research, in a statement.

The planet circles this pulsar from a distance of around 1 million miles. In comparison, Earth is nearly 100 million miles from the sun. Because of this close orbit, a year on PSR J2322-2650 b lasts less than eight hours.

When Webb analyzed the planet’s atmosphere, scientists expected to find familiar gases like water vapor or methane. Instead, they encountered helium and basic forms of carbon. This type of carbon should not exist in such high temperatures without minimizing almost all oxygen and nitrogen. No other known planet showcases this characteristic.

Temperatures on the planet range from approximately 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit on the cooler side to about 3,700 degrees on the hotter side.

In a binary system 750 light-years away, a pulsar might be eroding material from its exoplanet companion. The binary setup resembles a rare configuration referred to as “a black widow,” where a pulsar gradually extracts material from a nearby partner. The distinction here is that the partner is a planet, not another star.

No established process accounts for how such a carbon-heavy planet could have come into existence.

“But it’s exciting not to have all the answers,” stated coauthor Roger Romani of Stanford University in a statement. “I’m eager to uncover more about the strangeness of this atmosphere. It’s fantastic to have a puzzle to solve.”