The Pitch-Black Exoplanet WASP-12b (IMAGE)

ESA/Hubble Information Centre

The Pitch-Black Exoplanet WASP-12b

Caption

This artist's impression shows the exoplanet WASP-12b -- an alien world as black as fresh asphalt, orbiting a star like our Sun. Scientists were able to measure its albedo: the amount of light the planet reflects. The results showed that the planet is extremely dark at optical wavelengths.

Credit

NASA, ESA, and G. Bacon (STScI)

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