The newly discovered planet, PSR J2322-2650b, orbits a rapidly rotating neutron star known as a pulsar. This stellar remnant sends out tightly focused beams of electromagnetic radiation from its magnetic poles at intervals of just milliseconds. However, most of this radiation takes the form of gamma rays and other high-energy particles, which fall outside the infrared range detectable by the James Webb Space Telescope.

Figure 1. Astronomers Discover a Never-Before-Seen Exoplanet with a Bizarre Atmosphere.

As a result, scientists can observe the planet in remarkable detail throughout its entire orbit—something that is usually extremely challenging, since stars typically overwhelm the faint light of their planets. “This system is unique because we can see the planet illuminated by its host star without detecting the star itself,” said Maya Beleznay, a graduate student at Stanford University who helped model the planet’s shape and orbital geometry. “That gives us an exceptionally clean spectrum and allows us to study this system far more precisely than most known exoplanets.” Figure 1 shows Astronomers Discover a Never-Before-Seen Exoplanet with a Bizarre Atmosphere.

An animation illustrates this unusual exoplanet circling a distant pulsar—a rapidly spinning neutron star that emits regular radio pulses. The planet orbits at a distance of just one million miles and is stretched into a lemon-like shape by the pulsar’s immense gravitational pull.

“Instead of detecting the familiar molecules we usually see on exoplanets—such as water, methane, or carbon dioxide—we found molecular carbon, specifically C₂ and C₃,” said Zhang.

Deep within the planet’s core, where pressures are extreme, this carbon could potentially be compressed into diamond. Yet for scientists, the bigger mystery is not what the planet is made of, but how it came to exist at all.

“It’s incredibly difficult to explain such an extreme carbon-rich composition,” Zhang said. “It seems to rule out every known planet-formation scenario.”

A puzzle to pursue

PSR J2322-2650b orbits astonishingly close to its host star—just one million miles away. By comparison, Earth lies about 100 million miles from the Sun. Because of this tight orbit, the planet completes a full revolution in only 7.8 hours.

By modeling subtle changes in the planet’s brightness as it orbits, researchers determined that the pulsar’s overwhelming gravity is distorting the Jupiter-mass world into a stretched, lemon-like shape.

The system may belong to a rare category known as a “black widow.” In these systems, a rapidly spinning pulsar is paired with a much smaller companion. Over time, material from the companion is drawn onto the pulsar, accelerating its rotation and generating an intense wind of radiation that slowly strips and evaporates the smaller body—much like the spider that consumes its mate.

In this case, however, the companion is officially classified as an exoplanet by the International Astronomical Union, rather than a star.

“Did it form like a normal planet? No—the composition is completely different,” Zhang explained. “Did it form from the stripped remains of a star, like typical black widow systems? Probably not, because nuclear physics doesn’t produce pure carbon.”

Roger Romani of Stanford University and the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, a leading expert on black widow systems, suggests a possible explanation for the planet’s strange atmosphere.

“As the companion cools, the carbon–oxygen mixture in its interior may begin to crystallize,” Romani said. “Pure carbon crystals could rise to the surface and mix with helium, producing what we observe. But something must also prevent oxygen and nitrogen from appearing—and that’s where the debate begins.”

“But not knowing everything is part of the excitement,” Romani added. “I’m eager to explore the strange chemistry of this atmosphere. It’s a wonderful puzzle to chase.”

Thanks to its exceptional infrared sensitivity, this discovery was only possible with the James Webb Space Telescope. Positioned about a million miles from Earth, Webb’s massive sunshield keeps its instruments extremely cold—an essential requirement for detecting faint infrared signals.

“Here on Earth, everything is warm, and that heat creates interference by adding unwanted photons,” Zhang explained. “Observations like this are simply impossible from the ground.”

Source: SciTECHDaily

Cite this article:

Priyadharshini S (2025), Astronomers Stunned by Discovery of a Completely New Exoplanet with a Strange Atmosphere, AnaTechMaz, pp.652