NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope has made a groundbreaking discovery of an exoplanet similar to Jupiter, with a unique orbit that takes over 100 years to complete. This extraordinary find has sparked excitement among researchers as they delve into the mysteries of this distant planet and its unusual journey around its star.
About the remarkable find
The exoplanet, known as Kepler-421b, was detected by NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope, specifically designed for exploring planets beyond our solar system. Situated in the Lyra constellation, approximately 1,000 light years away from Earth, Kepler-421b stands out for its exceptionally long orbital period.
What makes Kepler-421b truly remarkable is its incredibly lengthy orbit. While Jupiter orbits the Sun in about 12 years, this distant exoplanet takes more than a century to complete a single revolution around its star. This places it among the most remote exoplanets ever identified.
Distinctive features of Kepler-421b
- Size: Similar in size to Jupiter and composed mainly of hydrogen and helium.
- Orbital Period: Takes approximately 103 years to orbit its star, setting it apart from all other known exoplanets.
- Temperature: Due to its distance from the star, Kepler-421b is estimated to have an extremely cold climate.
Scientists anticipate that studying Kepler-421b and its peculiar orbit will offer valuable insights into planetary formation and evolution. The discovery of this Jupiter-like exoplanet presents new opportunities for unraveling the diversity of planets beyond our solar system.< /p>