"Amazing are not only the extremes of WASP-12b (as with so many regions of space), but also how that planet reminds us of the special habitability of Earth.
WASP-12b is an extrasolar planet orbiting the star WASP-12.
Due to its extremely close orbit to its star, it has one of the lowest densities for exoplanets
The planet takes only a little over a day to orbit the star, in contrast to 365 days for the Earth to orbit the Sun.
Since hot Jupiter exoplanets are “phase locked” by tidal interactions (that is, the same side always faces the host star, just as the same side of our moon always faces us), there will be a large flow of heat from the highly irradiated “day side” to the cooler “night side”. This is thought to result in very strong winds rushing around the planet's atmosphere....temperature of the planet’s surface to more than 4,700˚F.
Recent evidence indicates that WASP-12b has an enhanced carbon-to-oxygen ratio, significantly higher than that of the Sun, indicating that it is a carbon-rich gas giant."
AIG/Wiki
WASP-12b is an extrasolar planet orbiting the star WASP-12.
Due to its extremely close orbit to its star, it has one of the lowest densities for exoplanets
The planet takes only a little over a day to orbit the star, in contrast to 365 days for the Earth to orbit the Sun.
Since hot Jupiter exoplanets are “phase locked” by tidal interactions (that is, the same side always faces the host star, just as the same side of our moon always faces us), there will be a large flow of heat from the highly irradiated “day side” to the cooler “night side”. This is thought to result in very strong winds rushing around the planet's atmosphere....temperature of the planet’s surface to more than 4,700˚F.
Recent evidence indicates that WASP-12b has an enhanced carbon-to-oxygen ratio, significantly higher than that of the Sun, indicating that it is a carbon-rich gas giant."
AIG/Wiki
