Planet turns up the heat by 1,000°C
SCIENTISTS have discovered the hottest planet in the universe to date.
Surface temperatures on KELT-9b reach 4,327°C – more than 1,100°C than the previous record.
The huge gas giant is 650 light years away and is so close to its host star its orbit takes just a day and a half. KELT-9b lies in the constellation of Cygnus and is even hotter than most stars.
The discovery of the scorched world may help astronomers search for extraterrestrial life.
Professor Scott Gaudi, of Ohio State University, said: “This provides a kind of touchstone for understanding how planetary systems form around hot, massive stars.”
KELT-9b is almost three times bigger than Jupiter.