‘Styrofoam’ planet found 320 light years from Earth

Researchers have discovered a new giant planet orbiting an extremely bright star, 320 light years from Earth that has the density of styrofoam.

This “puffy planet” outside our solar system may hold opportunities for testing atmospheres that will be useful when assessing future planets for signs of life, researchers said.

“It is highly inflated, so that while it is only a fifth as massive as Jupiter, it is nearly 40 per cent larger, making it about as dense as styrofoam,” said Joshua Pepper, assistant professor at Lehigh University, US.

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