Overview
- Using JWST, researchers captured a phase-resolved infrared spectrum of PSR J2322-2650b that is largely uncontaminated by its pulsar host.
- The Jupiter-sized object circles its neutron star roughly every eight hours at about 1.6 million kilometers, exposing it to extreme tidal forces.
- The planet is markedly deformed, with an equatorial diameter about 38% greater than its pole-to-pole measurement.
- Spectral data show an atmosphere dominated by helium and molecular carbon, consistent with soot- or graphite-like aerosols.
- The team favors a black-widow–style stellar-remnant origin but says the formation and long-term stability remain open questions requiring follow-up observations and comparison systems.