British astronomers, led by Leslie Hebb from the University of St. Andrews, discovered planet outside the solar system - the hottest and the fastest observed by the present. The planet with the code name WASP-12b is located 780 light years from the Earth and weighs 1.5 times more than Jupiter.
Its temperature is about 2250 degrees Celsius.Wasp 12b orbits its star once for every earth day. In all probability the reason for this high temperature is the proximity to its star – the distance is about 40 times less than that between the Earth and the sun.
The planet was discovered within the WASP program during its transition in front the star. According to Leslie Hebb this short period of rotation around the star is amazing. The exoplanets often rotate around their stars for a few days (3 or more), but so short period is meted for the first time, commented the scientist.
The temperature record is no less interesting. Such a temperature is comparable to that of the brown dwarfs - objects that are too small for stars and too large for planets. Until now, the hottest planet was HD 149026b with temperature of 2040 degrees Celsius.
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