3. The Planet with Enormous Planetary Rings
J1407 b has been discovered in 2012, and its data have been compiled and submitted for publication only recently. It is located 400 light years away from Earth. What is astounding about this planet is that it has a system of planetary rings, just like Saturn, and these rings are 200 times larger than the ones around Saturn. The rings are so big that if they belonged to Saturn, it would almost dominate the Earth’s sky, appearing larger than the Moon, and scientists also observed a 56-day eclipse of its host star. The gaps between the rings are believed to represent exomoons orbiting this exoplanet.
2. The Planet of Burning Ice
Gliese 436 b is another murderous planet under the Gliese catalogue. It about 20 times bigger that Earth, and is roughly the size of Neptune. The planet is 4.3 million miles away from its host star, in comparison to Earth which is 93 million miles from Sun. The temperature on the planet is 822°F, and its surface is covered with burning ice. The immense gravitational force of the planet keeps the water molecules too densely packed to evaporate, and thus, prevents them from escaping the planet. The burning ice is called ice-ten, with reference to ice-ten from Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle.
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