The Seven Most Extreme Planets Discovered In The Universe

Humans have discovered many fascinating planets with the advent of the space age, some of which are more unique than the others. Here are seven of the most extreme planets that mankind has found till date.

The Hottest

The solar system might be home to the sweltering Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, with a temperature that shoots up to 430°C. However, this is nothing compared to planet KELT-9b that orbits the massive star KELT-9, also called HD 195689. According to Business Insider, this exoplanet reaches a whopping temperature of 4,300°C that makes Mercury seem like a cool planet.

The Coldest

OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb has the distinction of being the coldest planet with a temperature that dips to as low -223°C. Popularly referred to as Hoth, as a nod to the fictitious icy world from the Star Wars franchise, the planet has a mass 5.5 times than that of Earth.

The Biggest

The honor of being the biggest known planet goes to DENIS-P J082303.1-491201 b, which is 28.5 times as massive as Jupiter. Meanwhile, it is still being debated by astronomers whether DENIS-P J082303.1-491201 b is a planet or a brown dwarf star.

The Smallest

The Kepler-37b exoplanet is the smallest discovered planet. The tiny world is smaller than Mercury and just about a bit larger than the Moon.

The Oldest

Being just 1 billion years younger than the universe, which is 13.8 billion years old, PSR B1620-26 b at 12.7 billion years is the oldest known planet. Interestingly, this ancient world has outseen the lives of both its host stars that rotated around each other.

The Youngest

The baby in the bunch is the planetary system of V830 Tauri that is only 2 million years old. In fact, the host star is yet to develop into its final shape. The planet, which formed around the same time that the Homo genus appeared on Earth, is still growing.

The Worst Weather

Finally, there is a planet from the solar system on the list, namely Earth’s neighbor, Venus. As per Cosmos Magazine, the second rock from the Sun has clouds of sulfuric acid shrouding it, and the atmosphere is made with over 95 percent carbon dioxide. The planet has winds reaching hurricane speeds of 360 km/h. Each pole of Venus sustains double-eyed cyclones and the surface temperature of the planet is at least 462°C.