Wasp121b (IMAGE)

University of Maryland

Wasp121b

Caption

This artist's illustration shows WASP-121b, a distant world that is losing magnesium and iron gas from its atmosphere. The observations represent the first time that heavy metals have been detected escaping from a "hot Jupiter," which is a large, gaseous exoplanet that orbits very close to its host star. WASP-121b's orbit is so close that the star's gravity is nearly ripping the planet apart, giving the planet an oblique football shape.

Credit

NASA, ESA, and J. Olmsted (STScI)

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