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Space
Space
Science
Victoria Corless

Astronomers discover exotic atmosphere on scorching hot exoplanet Cuancoá. 'Like finding a snowball that hasn't melted in a fire'

A reddish-orange planet near a bright yellow star, with hundreds of stars scattered throughout the background.

Scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have delved into the atmosphere of the scorching hot exoplanet LTT 9779 b.

Officially named Cuancoá, this Neptune-sized exoplanet was discovered in 2020 and orbits its sun-like star every 19 hours. With a mass about 29 times that of Earth, LTT 9779 b lies within the "hot Neptune desert" — a category of planets for which exceptionally few are known to exist, making it a rare and intriguing discovery.

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