Free Astronomy Magazine March-April 2026

32 MARCH-APRIL 2026 ASTRO PUBLISHING planet? No, because the composition is en- tirely different,” said Zhang. “Did it form by stripping the outside of a star, like ‘normal’ black widow systems are formed? Probably not, because nuclear physics does not make pure carbon. It’s very hard to imagine how you get this extremely carbon-enriched com- position. It seems to rule out every known formation mechanism.” Study co-author Roger Romani, of Stanford University and the Kavli Institute for Particle As- trophysics and Cosmol- ogy, proposes one evo- cative phenomenon that could occur in the unique atmosphere. “As the companion cools down, the mix- ture of carbon and oxy- gen in the interior starts to crystallize,” said Romani. “Pure carbon crystals float to the top and get mixed into the helium, and that’s what we see. But then something has to happen to keep the oxygen and nitrogen away. And that’s where the mystery comes in.” “But it’s nice to not know every- thing ,” said Romani. “I’m looking forward to learning more about the weirdness of this atmosphere. It’s great to have a puzzle to go after.” With its infrared vision and exqui- site sensitivity, this is a discovery only the Webb telescope could make. Its perch a million miles from Earth and its huge sunshield keep the instruments very cold, which is necessary for these observations. It is not possible to conduct this study from the ground. T hanks to its extremely tight orbit, PSR J2322-2650b’s year lasts just 7.8 hours. This planet, studied with the Webb Space Telescope, appears to have an exotic atmosphere dominated by helium and carbon, unlike any previously observed. Its atmospheric composition challenges current theories of planet formation. [NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI)] miles away. For comparison, Earth’s distance from the Sun is about 93 million miles. Because of its ex- tremely tight orbit, the exoplanet’s entire year — the time it takes to go around its star — is just 7.8 hours. Gravitational forces from the much heavier pulsar are pulling the Jupiter-mass planet into a bizarre lemon shape. Together, the star and exoplanet may be considered a “black widow” system, though not a typical example. Black widow sys- tems are a rare type of double sys- tem where a rapidly spinning pulsar is paired with a small, low-mass stel- lar companion. In the past, material from the companion streamed onto the pulsar, causing the pulsar to spin faster over time, which powers a strong wind. That wind and radia- tion then bombard and evaporate the smaller and less massive com- panion. Like the spider for which it is named, the pulsar slowly con- sumes its unfortunate partner. But in this case, the companion is offi- cially considered an exoplanet, not a star. The International Astronomical Union defines an exoplanet as a ce- lestial body below 13 Jupiter masses that orbits a star, brown dwarf, or stellar remnant, such as a pulsar. Of the 6,000 known exoplanets, this is the only one reminiscent of a gas giant (with mass, radius, and tem- perature similar to a hot Jupiter) or- biting a pulsar. Only a handful of pulsars are known to have planets. “Did this thing form like a normal !