Watery exoplanet’s skies suggest unexpected origin story
HAT-P-26b formed close to its star and wasn’t bombarded by rocks, study hints
WET AND WILD The exoplanet HAT-P-26b, illustrated here, has relatively low levels of heavy elements in its atmosphere, compared with those found in Neptune's atmosphere. As a result, the exoplanet may have had a different origin story than ice giants in our solar system.
NASA/GSFC