Telescope Webb Discovers Diamond Planet Near a Pulsar: Why It Challenges All Theories.

According to ТСН: The NASA space telescope named James Webb has discovered an unusual exoplanet with an anomalous shape and carbon-rich atmosphere, which orbits very close to a pulsar. This discovery challenges existing theories of planet formation.

Discovery of the Exoplanet

Astronomers reported that the discovered object is designated PSR J2322-2650b. In terms of mass, it resembles Jupiter, but its physical properties differ significantly from those of typical gas giants. The planet exists under extreme conditions near a pulsar - a neutron star that emits strong gamma rays.

Shape and Atmosphere

Due to the strong gravitational field of the pulsar, the dimensions of the planet have been distorted. Scientists note that PSR J2322-2650b has an elongated shape, similar to a lemon. It is about 1.6 million kilometers away from the pulsar and completes an orbit around it in 7.8 hours.

Particular interest in the scientific community is directed towards the chemical composition of the atmosphere of the exoplanet. A spectroscopic analysis carried out with the infrared instruments of the Webb telescope found the absence of common compounds such as water vapor or methane. Instead, the atmosphere is predominantly composed of helium and molecular carbon in the forms C₂ and C₃.

“We are observing an absolutely new type of planetary atmosphere that does not correspond to any existing models,” said the principal investigator of the project, Michael Zhang from the University of Chicago.

Hypotheses and Future Research

Scientists suspect that under extreme high pressure within the planet, carbon could crystallize and dark carbon clouds may form in the upper layers of the atmosphere, similar to soot.

Research on PSR J2322-2650b was made possible due to the unique observational conditions: the pulsar primarily emits in the high-energy range, which is not captured by the infrared sensors of the Webb telescope. This allowed for a clean spectrum of the planet to be obtained without interference from the pulsar's radiation.

The origin of this object remains unclear, however. Scientists note that its composition does not align with classical scenarios of circumstellar gas nebula formation and is not compatible with the models of 'Black Widow' systems, where a pulsar gradually destroys a companion star.

Astrophysicist Roger Romani from Stanford University hypothesized that carbon crystals could rise to the surface of the planet's helium ocean, but the question of why oxygen and nitrogen are absent from the composition remains open.

Thus, PSR J2322-2650b is considered one of the most mysterious objects discovered by modern astronomy and requires further investigation.

We remind that it was previously reported that the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS will come closest to Earth.