WASP-12b, An Egg-shaped Exoplanet That Becomes A Victim Of 'Kanibalism'

Illustration of the exoplanet WASP-12b (photo: dock. NASA)

JAKARTA WASP-12b is an exoplanet discovered in 2008 and is categorized as a hot Jupiter planet. This egg-shaped planet is about 1,393 light-years away from Earth. Based on the hypothesis believed by astronomers, WASP-12b is egg-shaped because it orbits very close to its parent star. As a result of its very close distance, the planet became a victim of cannibalism because it was eaten by its parent star. Conceptually, NASA explains that the planet has an orbit of 1.1 days. WASP-12b is believed to be a very hot exoplanet, but its proximity to the star makes its planetary atmosphere begin to disappear slowly. The material from WASP-12b fell into its parent star. According to NASA's estimate, the strength of the continuously stolen planet will make WASP-12b extinction before. Within 10 million years, the planet will run out and completely destroyed.

Meski dikategorikan ke dalam kelompok Jupiter, WASP-12b merupakan planet yang berukuran dua kali lipat dari Jupiter. Planet ini disebut sebagai gas raksasa yang mendesis karena memiliki suhu sekitar 2.210 derajat celsius.WASP-12b memang dihancurkan oleh bintang induknya, tetapi ada faktor lain yang membuat planet tersebut berbentuk seperti telur. Menurut temuan para astronom, bentuk ini tercipta karena gaya pasang surut yang sangat besar.Semakin lama, ukuran WASP-12b semakin menyusut karena bintangnya terus mencuri potongan planet terdekat. Potongan-potongan ini dipercaya akan membentuk monster Frankenstein, yaitu planet yang terbentuk dari puing-puing yang telah mati.