The Strangest Alien Planets

[Nickelson Profile]

I would like to share with you a couple of the strangest alien planets.
There actually are twenty presented with the source, but here I will show you the eight ones I find interesting enough to share with you guys.



The First Discovered

Among the more than 400 planets found beyond our solar system, there are volcanic Super Earths, gas giants that dwarf Jupiter, and worlds with multiple sunsets. Here are 20 of the most incredible, starting with the very first alien world - 51 Pegasi b was the first planet discovered in orbit around a normal star other than our Sun. It was found in 1995



Smallest Known Exoplanet

The reigning champ of most Earth-sized planets yet is a world called Gliese 581 e, which circles a star that has four planets total. It is called the smallest because of its mass, which is just 1.9 times the mass of Earth, making it the lightest known alien planet to date. The other planets range in mass from 5 to 16 times the mass of Earth.



The largest exoplanet

The largest exoplanet ever discovered is also one of the strangest and theoretically should not even exist, scientists say. Dubbed TrES-4, the planet is about 1.7 times the size of Jupiter and belongs to a small subclass of so-called puffy planets that have extremely low densities. The planet is located about 1,400 light years away from Earth and zips around its parent star in only three and a half days.



Closest alien world to us

Epsilon Eridani b orbits an orange Sun-like star only 10.5 light years away from Earth. It is so close to us telescopes might soon be able to photograph it. It orbits too far away from its star to support liquid water or life as we know it, but scientists predict there are other stars in the system that might be good candidates for alien life.



Oldest Alien Planet

The oldest known planet is a primeval world 12.7 billion years old that formed more than 8 billion years before Earth and only 2 billion years after the Big Bang. The discovery suggested planets are very common in the universe and raised the prospect that life began far sooner than most scientists ever imagined.



Super-Earth

Astronomers are finding many worlds now in a category of worlds called Super-Earths, which are between 2 and 10 times the mass of our own Earth. A world called HD156668b is the second smallest after Gliese 581 e. Some scientists think such worlds could be more susceptible to forming the conditions for life because their cores are hot and are conducive to volcanism and plate tectonics.



Waterworld

The extrasolar planet GJ 1214b is a rocky planet rich in water that sits about 40 light-years away. It orbits a red dwarf star. It is the only known Super-Earth exoplanet — worlds that have masses between Earth and Neptune — with a confirmed atmosphere. The planet is about three times the size of Earth and about 6.5 times as massive. Researchers think it is likely a water world with a solid center. Credit: David A. Aguilar, CfA



Most Habitable

One of the several planets within the Gliese 581 star system, called Gliese 581 d, may be one of the most habitable alien worlds known. Its orbit is at just the right distance for water to potentially exist on the surface. Water is a key ingredient for life as we know it. Gliese 581 is a red dwarf star 20.5 light-years from Earth. It is about 8 times the mass of Earth, and located in an orbit just right for liquid water.



Click source for more planets and more background information on their discoveries.
SOURCE

[Icarus1 Profile]

A MOST EXCELLENT POST

[Nickelson Profile]

A MOST EXCELLENT POST

Well thank you for that most excellent compliment, it's a hobby or I can better pronounce it as an addiction.

The planets in the habitable zone surrounding their "Sun" are interesting, because they might have the same elements for hosting life as our own planet Earth.