Webb Finds Jupiter-Mass PSR J2322-2650b With Carbon Atmosphere as 7.8-Hour Orbit Warps It Lemon-Shaped
Updated
Updated · spacedaily.com · Jun 23
Webb Finds Jupiter-Mass PSR J2322-2650b With Carbon Atmosphere as 7.8-Hour Orbit Warps It Lemon-Shaped
2 articles · Updated · spacedaily.com · Jun 23
Summary
PSR J2322-2650b emerged from a full-orbit James Webb observation with an atmosphere dominated by molecular carbon—C2 and C3—the first such detection among roughly 150 planets whose atmospheres have been studied.
Those spectra imply a carbon-to-oxygen ratio above 100 and carbon-to-nitrogen above 10,000, while the pulsar host stays effectively invisible to Webb’s infrared instruments, letting astronomers isolate the planet’s own light.
About 1 million miles from its millisecond pulsar, the Jupiter-mass world completes an orbit every 7.8 hours; intense gravity stretches it into a lemon shape, with temperatures ranging from about 1,200F to 3,700F and strong westward winds.
The carbon-rich air is the deeper puzzle: researchers say it does not fit normal planet formation or standard 'black widow' stripping models, though one speculative crystallization scenario still leaves oxygen and nitrogen unexplained.
Out of about 6,000 known exoplanets, NASA says this is the only gas-giant-like planet known around a pulsar, making the result both unusually constrained and a challenge to current formation theory.
This carbon planet was found in 2025. What other cosmic rule-breakers has the Webb telescope revealed since?
Is this bizarre planet orbiting a dead star a glimpse of a true 'diamond world' in our galaxy?
How can a lemon-shaped carbon world exist when all our planetary formation theories say it is impossible?
PSR J2322-2650b: The First Pulsar Planet with a Carbon-Helium Atmosphere and Diamond Core Challenges Planetary Science
Overview
In late 2025, astronomers made a groundbreaking discovery using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope: PSR J2322-2650b, the first planet orbiting a pulsar with its atmosphere studied in detail. Published in December, these observations revealed that the planet's atmosphere is unlike any seen before, lacking common elements and instead made mostly of helium and molecular carbon. This bizarre composition means PSR J2322-2650b does not fit into any known planetary category, challenging existing theories of planet formation and sparking excitement and debate in the scientific community about how such a world could exist.