WASP-104b


WASP-104b is a hot Jupiter exoplanet that orbits the star WASP-104. It is considered to be one of the darkest exoplanets discovered. WASP-104b was discovered in 2014; according to a 2018 study at Keele University, the planet's dense atmosphere of potassium and sodium absorbs more than 97% of light it receives.

Characteristics

Darkness potential

Researchers have considered WASP-104b to be one of the darkest exoplanets ever discovered. In 2018, scientists from Keele University said the exoplanet's thick sodium and potassium atmosphere can absorb more than 97% of the light that falls on it. A paper published by Cornell University Library describes the exoplanet as "darker than charcoal" and "one of the least reflective planets found to date". The only other two exoplanets thought to be darker than WASP-104b are TrES-2b and WASP-12b. Its reflectance has been compared with that of WASP-12b, which absorbs 94% of the light it receives.

Size, radius, and temperature

WASP-104b's size is comparable to that of Jupiter; its mass and radius are 1.272 times and 1.137 times greater than Jupiter's, respectively. It has 12.5 times the mass of Earth and a low density, and may be composed of gas.

Orbit and host star

WASP-104b is the only known exoplanet to orbit WASP-104, a 3-billion-year-old G8 star. WASP-104b's orbital period is 1.8 days; it is located 2.6 million miles from its star and has an orbital radius of. WASP-104 and its planet are located 466 light years away from the Sun in the constellation Leo.