The Most Unusual Planets in the Universe

The planet t-r-e-s-2b is perpetually dark with no stars visible in its pitch black skies. This gas giant is around one and a half times more massive than Jupiter, and its surface absorbs light extremely well. It may also faintly glow dark red due to its blazing hot atmosphere, which has temperatures akin to fresh lava.

In the 55 Cancri system, there are five planets. Four are gas giants resembling Jupiter and Saturn, but the fifth and closest to the star is very different and horrific. 55 Cancri e is so near its sun that half the planet is a literal ocean of molten lava. The other half is eternal darkness as it never sees sunlight. The planet always faces its star on one side. Between the scorching and dark halves lies a thin, gloomy twilight zone.

The exoplanet HD189377 b has a surface of beautiful blue and white swirls, but these colors actually come from silicate particles in the atmosphere. This means it rains glass on this planet. Winds reach speeds up to 5400 mph, over 20 times faster than on Earth. The glass rain likely shreds everything as it travels at hypersonic speeds.

In one star system, three exoplanets are slowly being destroyed by their own pulsar star. As the rapidly spinning core of an exploded star, the pulsar emits powerful electromagnetic pulses while rotating at thousands of times per second. As a result, the orbiting planets are gradually being eroded away until they eventually vanish.

The hot blue dwarf Kepler-70 exploded into a red giant around 18 million years ago. At least two planets orbited it then, including the Jupiter-like Kepler-70b. The expanded star consumed this gas giant, transforming it into one of the hottest planets found with surface temperatures exceeding our sun's. It barely survived inside the star but now evaporates as it cannot last much longer.

WASP-12b is one of the strangest and saddest planets discovered. The enormous gravity of its star combined with the planet's gaseous composition results in it slowly being devoured. WASP-12b has already become egg-shaped toward the merciless sun and cannot escape this fate. In 10 million years, it will inevitably be consumed by the voracious star.

The Neptune-sized exoplanet Lesi 436b demonstrates what it is like to walk on ice and hot coals simultaneously. Despite being extremely close to its sun with oven-like temperatures, it is covered in dense ice that burns ceaselessly without melting. Its gravity is almost 100 times stronger than Earth's, and its atmosphere is not water but sulfuric acid that rains down adding to the inferno.

The exoplanet CoRoT-7b presents a hellish landscape where rocks bubble, boil and evaporate into the atmosphere. The evaporated material cools and falls back down as rain of molten iron. This planet may have once been a gas giant whose atmosphere was melted away by the intense heat, leaving only the scorched core.

The free-floating OTS-44, a planet about 11 times more massive than Jupiter, roams space while bound to no star. If it collided with another planet, it would completely obliterate it. Scientists believe millions of such rogue planets exist, awaiting discovery.

Theoretically, carbon planets closer to our galaxy's center likely exist. Any oxygen entering their atmosphere would react with carbon to form toxic black CO2 clouds. Tar oceans would spew methane and oil geysers. Rains would be downpours of gasoline and hot liquid asphalt, likely igniting on impact. It's hard to imagine anything surviving such conditions.

On a typical water planet, you would be surrounded by endless ocean and thick fog, with only a dim sun faintly visible through the gray haze. It would be unclear whether it is day or night. Even after swimming down for hours, the ocean floor would remain out of sight. You would be completely alone. While this may sound gloomy, water worlds are quite fascinating.

A water planet consists mainly of water, ice and perhaps some rock. If you dove into one, the depth could exceed 60 miles, making our 6-mile deep Mariana Trench seem shallow. The pressure would be enormous, up to 20,000 Earth atmospheres. Water worlds likely exist in our galaxy, and even in our solar system on moons like Jupiter's Ganymede and Callisto and Saturn's Titan and Enceladus. Their oceans may comprise up to 30% of their mass.

Conditions required for water planets are specific - they should be 6-8 times Earth's size. Smaller, and they have a rocky surface; larger, they become a gas giant. They also must orbit in the habitable zone or they will be icy giants or cold super Earths. The first discovered was GJ 1214 b, a steamy super Earth 2.5 times bigger and 6.5 times heavier than Earth, with near-equal gravity despite little rock. Its year is just 36 hours at 250-535°F. The surface ocean is likely bordered by over 3000 mile thick hot ice.

Another candidate is TOI-1452 b, seven times bigger and 48 times heavier than Earth, suggesting a giant ocean with a deep rocky seafloor. It orbits two red dwarfs but is 2.5 times farther than Pluto, orbiting in just 11 days. We still have much to learn, but these planets could potentially harbor simple lifeforms like bacteria, fish and monsters, though unlikely given their lack of minerals. But meteorites can bring minerals, and TOI-1452 b has a rocky bottom, so basic life may form. Someday we may know the truth.

Of over 4000 discovered planets, NASA compiled a list of 24 worlds better than Earth. KOI-5715.01 orbits an orange dwarf, which live 45-70 billion years, allowing more time for life to evolve. At 5.5 billion years old, it's likely this planet has basic organisms. Its year is 190 days, and it's nearly twice Earth's size with a warmer 52°F temperature that it retains thanks to stronger gravity. But it's 3000 light years away.

KOI-3010.01 has an average temperature of 67°F and is 1.5 times larger than Earth. Scientists believe 60% of its surface may be ocean. It's incredibly similar to Earth, with an 84% chance of having life. But these planets are just dots in space for us now. We must wait to visit them.

Kepler-186f, nicknamed "Earth's cousin," orbits a red dwarf and is similar in size to Earth. Red dwarfs live extremely long but are dim, yet this planet is closer, so it shouldn't be too dark. Its sky would be an eternal red sunset. While larger planets with stronger gravity are ideal, Earth-sized is excellent too. It has a similar tilt to Earth, ensuring stable seasons and day/night cycle. It's 490 light years away though.

Kepler-62e and 62f were once called the most Earth-like. Kepler-62e is 1.5 times larger than Earth, and Kepler-62f is slightly smaller. About 1200 light years away, these possible water worlds may have just some islands if any land at all. This could support gigantic ancient marine creatures. There is still much we don't know, like their composition and density. But one day, maybe we will find out.