Scientists Find Unprecedented Lemon-Shaped Planet That Shouldn’t Exist
Study Finds | December 18, 2025 | Michael Zhang (University of Chicago)Nothing about this planet makes sense. And that’s both confounding and exciting for astronomers.
In A Nutshell
* Astronomers discovered a Jupiter-sized planet with an atmosphere unlike anything seen before, dominated by carbon molecules in ratios that defy current planetary formation theories.
* The planet orbits a pulsar (a dead star’s ultra-dense core) every 7.8 hours and is blasted with gamma rays, heating its atmosphere to nearly 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit while stretching it into a lemon shape.
* The carbon-to-oxygen ratio exceeds 100 to 1, and carbon-to-nitrogen tops 10,000 to 1—numbers so extreme that no known planet orbiting a normal star comes close, leaving scientists without an explanation for how it formed.
* The planet’s unusual heating from gamma rays creates powerful westward winds and dramatic temperature differences between its day and night sides, making it a unique laboratory for studying atmospheres under extreme conditions.
“Oh — and did we mention it’s lemon-shaped?”
