Mysterious Lemon-Shaped Exoplanet Defies Explanation With Bizarre Atmosphere And Unusual Form

In a celestial anomaly that has left astronomers scratching their heads, an exoplanet 2,000 light years from Earth has been discovered with a peculiar lemon shape and atmospheric conditions that defy explanation. The object, dubbed PSR J2322-2650b, orbits a pulsar at a scorching distance of about 1 million miles, 100 times closer than Earth is to the Sun. This proximity to the pulsar, a rapidly spinning, collapsed star with a strong gravitational field, is believed to be the reason behind the exoplanet’s unusual shape.

According to Michael Zhang, one of the authors of the astrophysical analysis, “we don’t know of any other planetary atmosphere that looks anything like this.” The atmosphere of PSR J2322-2650b is composed of free-floating carbon, where rain might turn to diamonds due to the extreme temperatures. As Zhang noted, “I’m open to the possibility that this is an entirely new type of object.” The intense gravity of the pulsar has likely caused the exoplanet to elongate into a lemon shape, with a small tip where material is being drawn away and into the pulsar.

Peter Gao, co-author of the study, described the team’s reaction to the data: “our collective reaction was ‘what the heck ← →