Sharmila Kuthunur is a Seattle-based science journalist covering astronomy, astrophysics and space exploration. Follow her on X @skuthunur
A surprisingly low reservoir of methane may explain how a planet around a nearby star grew weirdly puffy, according to new observations from the James Webb Space Telescope . The finding shows that planetary atmospheres can inflate to remarkable amounts without employing esoteric theories of planet formation, astronomers say.
Related: James Webb telescope confirms there is something seriously wrong with our understanding of the universe The extra heat likely comes from the fact that WASP-107 b zips around its star every 5.7 days in an orbit that is not a perfect circle, the researchers say. The star's constant gravitational pull on WASP-107 b, whose distance from its star keeps varying throughout, stretches and contracts the planet’s profile, thereby heating it up. On Earth, a similar force by the moon causes high and low tides.
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