Exoplanet HD 114082 b is unusually dense, astronomers are not sure how it formed

06. 12. 2022

Astronomers recently weighed a young exoplanet orbiting star HD 114082. Together with its radius it allowed them to calculate its density, and it is too dense to be explained by current models.

Exoplanet, hot jupiter

The star HD 114082 is about twice the size (and weight) of the Sun and is located 310 light years away. It is only 15 million years old, which means it's just a baby in stellar terms (the Sun is more than 4 billion years old).

The exoplanet HD 114082 b is as big as Jupiter, but it weighs 8 times more. That means it’s twice as dense as Earth and ten times as Jupiter. 

According to a study published in Astronomy and Astrophysics it’s not a rocky planet, because it’s too big. That means it should belong into a gas giant category, i.e. planets similar to our own Jupiter. However astronomers are not sure how it was formed, as it doesn’t fall into either of the two ways planets like this are created.

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