Astronomers find 2 gigantic planets lighter than cotton candy: "Comparable to a nice blob of shaving foam"

Key Points:

• Astronomers have discovered two giant "super-puff" exoplanets orbiting a star 1,110 light-years away, notable for being the largest planets with densities lighter than cotton candy.
• These planets, likely composed mostly of hydrogen and helium, have densities comparable to shaving foam and are much less dense than Jupiter, which is up to 35 times denser.
• The super-puffs have unusually long orbital periods of 139 and 232 days and were detected by NASA's TESS satellite, with follow-up observations planned using the James Webb Space Telescope to confirm their composition.
• Super-puff planets are rare and challenge existing theories of planet formation, as they are thought to form in gas-rich disks around newborn stars and lose much of their material over time.
• With fewer than 40 super-puff exoplanets confirmed among nearly 6,300 known exoplanets, studying these rare worlds helps scientists better understand planetary formation and the diversity of planetary systems.