Exploring Outside Our Sphere pt.2

What's Buzzing?

The second round of external planets, from our previous exploration into destinations, you might not want to dare go near, starts with an overtake to a planet that unveils a slow, morbid merry-go-round of death - "WASP-12b", labeled by scientists as "doomed". Setting foot on its surface is unfeasible due to a harrowing fate: the planet is being torn apart by its host star, fragment by fragment, casting its remnants into outer space.

"WASP-12b", characterized as a gas giant with a radius roughly twice that of Jupiter, exhibits a distinctive trait. Unlike Jupiter, which completes one full revolution around the Sun in 12 Earth years, "WASP-12b" completes a full orbit around its host star in just one day. Such rapid speeds induce incredible tidal forces on the planet's surface, causing it to distort. Scientific calculations confirm that "WASP-12b" is shaped more like an egg as opposed to a sphere.

Astronomers predict that the planet cannot endure this tumultuous fate for much longer, giving it a maximum life-span of 10 million years. Beyond this time-frame, "WASP-12b" will disintegrate entirely, forming a gas and dust cloud which will be gradually consumed by its voracious host star. The gravitational interchange between the planet and its star accelerates and will continue to over time, leading to temperatures reaching up to 4100 degrees Fahrenheit, rendering any possibility of life on its surface obsolete.

Despite these harsh conditions, the Hubble telescope, five years after the planet's discovery, used spectroscopy to detect a remarkable discovery, given the inhospitable environment - signs of a water stream! Another startling revelation is that there is potential of minerals comprising the hard surface of this planet, if it exists. It is believed that it could be made up of graphite and diamonds due to the high concentration and density of carbon in its composition. While some have named "WASP-12b" the "diamond planet", scientists lean towards the belief that most of the carbon is present in the planet's atmosphere as carbon monoxide and methane.

In addition, research in 2012 suggested the existence of a possible satellite - namely - "WASP-12b1". The satellite is estimated to have a radius 6.4 times that of Earth's radius, only three times smaller than the radius of the planet itself. The conditions on the surface of this satellite remain speculative, plausibly not much better than its torn-apart neighbor.

Antediluvian Territories

Let us embark on a journey to the extraordinary world of "Captain-b", a planet located a mere 13 light-years away from our own. What sets this extraterrestrial body apart is not just its proximity to Earth, but its incredible age, estimated at 11.5 billion years - nearly two and a half times older than Earth - and only 2 billion years younger than the universe itself!

The host star of "Captain-b" is a red sub-dwarf, radiating nearly 250 times less light than our sun and bragging a quarter of the sun's mass. Despite the star's dim luminosity, scientists suggest that "Captain-b" resides within the zone suitable for habitation in relation to its star. This proximity is only 0.168 astronomical units, and places the planet even closer to its star than Mercury is to the sun. The estimated surface temperatures - ranging from negative 58 degrees Fahrenheit (-50 degrees Celsius) on the dark side to 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius) on the star-facing side - theoretically allow for liquid water to exist on the planet.

The Earth Similarity Index (ESI), which is a measure of a planet's similarity to Earth, gives "Captain-b" a rating of 0.67, placing it in the company of potential candidates for the discovery of extraterrestrial life. Notable comparisons include planets like "koi4005-01" and "Kepler-62f".

While the age of "Captain-b" does not guarantee the existence of life, it enhances the likelihood of habitability significantly. The evolution of life is a complex and lengthy process, and if 4.5 billion years were enough for life to develop on Earth, then the emergence of microorganisms - or perhaps ancient life forms that closely observed our own planet for countless years could have formed over 11.5 billion years on "Captain-b" . The possibilities of life beyond our solar system continue to allure our imagination and fuel the exploration of distant worlds.

A Paranormal Celestial

Our journey leads us to the mysterious and enigmatic "Fomalhaut-b", formerly known as "Dagon". A celestial entity that stirred the scientific community with its perplexing nature. The story unfolds in 2004 when the Hubble telescope detected a massive, cold debris disk of gas and dust, sparking theories about a potential planet - three times the size of Jupiter - orbiting "Fomalhaut", one of the brightest stars in the night sky located 25 light years away.

As scientists tried to unravel the mysteries of "Dagon", peculiar behaviors emerged. The object's speed increased over time, creating anticipation and alarm. In 2008, the scientific world buzzed with excitement as an image of "Dagon" was captured. However, the revelation challenged the assumptions - it appeared much smaller than initially estimated, with a mass somewhere between Earth and Mars. Its dim glow in the infrared range and lack of impact on the debris ring around "Fomalhaut" indicated a low mass and abnormality.

The plot thickened as the brightness of "Dagon" decreased while its size expanded, and its orbital movement deviated from predictions. Then, in 2014, the cosmic enigma took a dramatic turn - it vanished. The object, once consistently registered, began to increase in size and fade until it disappeared entirely. This baffling sequence of events led scientists to a radical conclusion: "Fomalhaut-b", the supposed exoplanet, never existed. (talk about a plot twist)

The new theory proposes that the object initially thought to be an exoplanet was, in fact, a dissipating dust cloud formed from a colossal collision between two asteroids or planetary embryos. This collision is an exceptionally rare event, likely occurred in 2004 while the Hubble telescope was surveying the "Fomalhaut" area - the first coincidence. As time progressed, the dust cloud dispersed, explaining the increase in size and decrease in brightness - the second coincidence.

This theory also addresses the unconventional orbit and peculiar movements of "Fomalhaut-b". Although it lost its exoplanet status, the legend of "Dagon" adds an enthralling chapter to astronomy, illustrating the intricate array of celestial bodies and the surprises the universe holds- countless known and confirmed 'exo'-worlds that await discovery!