NASA's Webb Telescope Discovers Unique Lemon-Shaped Planet

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has discovered a unique lemon-shaped planet known as PSR J2322-2650b, which is the most stretched-out planet ever observed. This gas giant, the mass of Jupiter, has an equatorial diameter about thirty-eight percent wider than its polar diameter, creating its unusual shape.

Discovered in 2011 by the Parkes radio telescope in Australia, this planet is located more than two thousand light-years from Earth and orbits a rapidly spinning pulsar, completing an orbit in about eight hours.

The planet's proximity to the pulsar, just one million miles away, contributes to its shape due to the immense gravitational pull. The observations made using the Webb telescope revealed that PSR J2322-2650b has a strange atmosphere, being devoid of hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen—elements commonly found on other planets.

Instead, it is composed mainly of helium and molecular carbon, marking a first in planetary discoveries according to Dr. Peter Gao from the Carnegie Institution for Science, who stated, 'A helium and carbon dominated world is something we’ve never seen before.' This discovery underscores the capabilities of the Webb telescope and enhances our understanding of planetary formation in the universe.