Hey guys, its Chris!
From planets made out of diamonds to orbiting a binary star system, here are 9 of the strangest
planets ever!!
9 . Gliese 581 C One of our greatest human desires is to explore
beyond our solar system and explore the stars and planets beyond.
It's this desire that is the basis of shows and movies like Star Trek and Star Wars, Babylon
5, The Expanse, and Battlestar Galactica (for those of you that are fans!).
But here in reality, though we aren't a spacefaring race, we are looking at habitable planets
to see if it would be possible to live there.
Scientists have a special interest in Gliese 581 C, a planet that could potentially support
life, but one that has some pretty important catches that humanity would REALLY have to
consider before settling there.
This is mostly due to its position relative to its sun, which just so happens to be a
red dwarf star.
Because of this, the planet is literally one of extremes.
To be specific, one side is always facing the sun, while the other never gets to see
it.
Because of this, one side is roasting hot, and the other is so cold that it would boggle
your mind.
It's a mystery how this planet has any life at all, and yet, there is a small stretch
of land that could support life if we were to make it to there.
However, life would be rough, because you would be confined to that piece of land, and
you couldn't go behind it else risk being burned alive or frozen to death.
More importantly, our own plants and other things we would bring to the planet would
have to adjust the different radiations the sun offers.
So a planet that basically has three "sides" to it, and all of them are different?
Yep, that's strange.
8.
Uranus
Let's head to our own solar system for a bit and talk about without a doubt the weirdest
of our own nine planets (yes, I'm calling Pluto a planet, sue me.)
Uranus is a bit of an oddball in numerous respects, not the least of which is because
of its name, which has been the butt of many jokes...ok, had to get it out of the way!
I'll move on.
The most obvious thing that's strange about Uranus is the fact that it's actually on its
side most of the time.
This is proven by its rings, which instead of being perfectly horizontal, or on a slightly
tilted axis, is actually vertical in their appearance, or at least very close to near
vertical.
Now, unlike Saturn's rings, Uranus' has very thin rings, and are actually "young" in terms
of their creation.
Another strange thing about Uranus is how its clouds are composed, some of the gasses
of the planet were known of for a while, but the composition is still be studied.
In fact, in 2017, it was discovered that Hydrogen Sulfide lay within its clouds, as such, it's
now even more dangerous than we previously thought.
Add to that, unlike gas planets like Jupiter, Saturn, and technically Neptune, Uranus actually
doesn't have a lot of colors and features within the clouds.
When you look at it in a certain light, it actually looks to be just one color despite
having all sorts of chemicals in it.
So when you compare all of the planets of our solar system, you have to admit, Uranus
is pretty strange looking.
7.
55 Cancri E Not all planets have simple names, especially
the farther they are from Earth, and through that logic I give you 55 Cancri E. What sets
this planet apart from the others in the universe?
Well, it is a planet that is mostly diamond.
But, it wasn't born that way.
The planet was once a star in a binary system, and eventually, it's partner star tried to
devour it.
But, the star had carbon in it, which is the foundation for diamonds and the heat and pressure
caused by the other star and their battle against each other, it became a diamond planet
instead.
Now, to be clear, not all of the planet is a diamond.
In fact, it's about one-third diamond, with other materials making up the rest.
But before you go saying that this is "fake news", you have to take into account the size
of the planet.
It's twice the size, and eight times the mass of our own planet.
Add that all up and you get 26.9 nonillion dollars worth of diamonds.
Can you imagine what Earth could do with that much diamonds?
All debt would be gone and we could probably make the planet a better place.
Too bad this is too far out of our reach...for now.
And now for number 6, but first if you are new here be sure to subscribe and click the
notification bell so you don’t miss out on the latest videos!!
6.
J1407b
When I say the word "Saturn", what do you picture?
More than likely, you think about our 6th planet, and just as likely, you think about
the rings that surround the planet.
So what if I told you, that out there in the universe was a planet called "Super Saturn",
one that had rings that were much, MUCH bigger than our own Saturn.
What would you picture then?
This planet is in fact real, and it's called J1407b.
I know, catchy name, right??
The planet itself is actually quite a long distance from Earth, 434 light years away
to be exact, which makes the fact that we found it astonishing in its own right.
But the most astonishing thing is this "Super Saturn" rings.
They're 200 times the size of the rings of our Saturn.
They are 75 million miles long!
Think about that!!!
75 million miles long!
Now, you might be thinking, "how many rings of this Super Saturn are there?"
Well, ironically, it's only 37, but that means that the mass and length is gigantic for each
and every one of them!
But what might be the most strange thing of all, is that these "rings" might not be rings
at all.
Rather, they might be the formation of moons that are visible via the paths they're taking
to form.
This comes from Eric Mamajek who says "this is probably the first indirect evidence we
have of moons forming around planets outside of our solar system.
And that has never been seen before.”
5.
KELT-9b
In our universe, there are hot planets, cold planets, really hot planets, really cold planets,
and then, there's KELT-9b.
Why does KELT-9b stand out?
Because it's literally the HOTTEST exoplanet to every be discovered within our universe,
and that's saying something.
But while it is something that is helping it stand out, it's also a big detriment to
the planet.
KELT-9b is tidally locked to its mother star, the one that it circles around.
This isn't unnatural at all, it just means that because of its position, one hemisphere
of the planet will always face the sun, and the other side will not.
Because of this, KELT-9b burns at an intense 7800 degrees Fahrenheit.
To compare it to other things in the solar system, this planet is burning hotter than
many stars that are out there in the universe, and WAY hotter than most planets.
Ironically though, our own sun burns at over 9000 degrees Fahrenheit, so it's not that
hot just yet.
Here's the rub, because of its intense heat, its size (which is three times larger than
Jupiter) and its gassy composition, it's literally burning itself up.
In about a few million years...the planet will be gone.
4.
TrES-2b
The composition of planets is one of the things that make them the most interesting.
So imagine finding a planet that has such a dense and unique composition that it doesn't
reflect any light...at all.
This is the planet known as TrES-2b.
TrES-2b is so dark, and is so non-reflective that it is documented as the "darkest planet
ever observed."
How dark does that mean?
Well, David Kipping from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics said the following
about the planet:
“Being less reflective than coal or even the blackest acrylic paint—this makes it
by far the darkest planet ever discovered.
If we could see it up close it would look like a near-black ball of gas, with a slight
glowing red tinge to it — a true exotic amongst exoplanets.”
How the planet is that non-reflective is still a mystery, mainly because it's very far from
Earth.
However, some scientists have been able to deduce that the atmosphere of the planet is
full of materials that actually absorbs light, and thus doesn't make it reflect.
Yet, how it does so this perfectly is still up for debate.
But with this potential for "darkness" in a planet, it's theoretically possible that
more like it are out there.
3.
WASP-17b
WASP-17b is a planet of contradictions, which makes it strange in its own outright way,
but when you delve into what makes it so contradictory, the strangeness amplifies.
First and foremost, the way the planet orbits the sun is opposite than the direction that
pretty much all planets go in when orbiting their parent stars.
Seriously, no other planet (at this time) has been observed going opposite like this.
The other main contradiction is that despite being twice the size of Jupiter...it's actually
half the mass.
Which is a contradiction that many are still trying to figure out.
Point is, WASP-17b is one strange planet, and that's not about to change.
2.
Kepler-16b
In Star Wars: A New Hope, one of the most iconic scenes of the film (and arguably the
franchise) is the shot of Luke Skywalker looking out across the planet Tatooine and seeing
two suns' in the sky.
This "Binary Sunset" scene helped set the tone for the film.
And it left many fans wondering, "Is there such a planet in the universe?"
The answer is yes, and it's called Kepler-16b.
This planet is actually stranger than you might perceive, because it's the only planet
that is known to orbit a binary star system.
Which for a long time was thought impossible.
Another oddity is that this planet is 8 times the radius of our Earth, yet has 105 times
the mass.
Oh, but if you're hoping to go to a galaxy far, far away to visit...don't.
The atmosphere is toxic to lifeforms, and thus we can't colonize it.
1.
HD 189733b
There are many dangers in the universe, and some are dangerous in ways that are odd even
to those who watch sci-fi films and shows.
A perfect example of this is HD 189733b.
For this is a planet that rains glass...sideways.
Oh yeah.
How is this all possible?
Well, the glass itself comes from the atmosphere, which has a high concentrate of silica.
Thus, when it "rains" down on the planet, it hardens, to become glass.
As for the sideways part, the winds on HD 189733b are so intense and powerful that they
can be up to 5400 miles per house.
That's a powerful gust that we couldn't even imagine, and that force makes the glass fly
sideways.
I think I speak for humanity when I say...I'm ok with not being on that planet.
Thanks for watching!
Can you believe these bizarre planets?
Which one is your favorite from the list?
Let me know in the comments below, be sure to subscribe, and I'll see you next time!