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Every day, NASA ventures into the cosmos, searching for new planets, stars, and celestial systems scattered throughout the galaxy. From Voyager 1 to Juno, many probes have been launched to first explore our solar system and, eventually, to look beyond it.
The Kepler spacecraft holds the record for discovering the most exoplanets, those distant worlds that orbit stars other than our own Sun. Many of these planets are even named after the spacecraft, a testament to Kepler's monumental role in the search for new worlds.
Although we uncover countless exoplanets each year, most of them are simply barren rocks circling faraway, mysterious stars. Yet, once in a while, a planet is found that is so extraordinary it leaves even the most experienced astrophysicists in awe. We’ve compiled a list of 10 of the most incredible examples.
10. OGLE-2016-BLG-1195Lb: The Frozen Iceball Planet
OGLE-2016-BLG-1195Lb is a frozen exoplanet, located an incredible 13,000 light-years away from our solar system. Its surface temperatures range from -220 degrees Celsius (-364 °F) to -186 degrees Celsius (-302 °F), which has earned it the nickname “the iceball planet.”
A light-year is a unit of distance, representing the distance light travels in one year. Light travels at a speed of almost 300,000 kilometers per second (186,000 miles per second), or over 1 billion kilometers per hour (670 million miles per hour). To reach this icy exoplanet, one would need to travel an enormous distance at unimaginable speeds.
To date, the fastest speed achieved by any spacecraft occurred with New Horizons, a probe launched in 2006 to fly by Pluto, its moons, and the Kuiper Belt. New Horizons traveled at speeds exceeding 58,000 kilometers per hour (36,000 miles per hour), still far slower than the speed of light. This underscores the massive technological leap required to explore neighboring star systems just a few light-years away.
That’s why scientists rely on advanced long-range technologies to detect far-off exoplanets and study their mass and atmospheric composition. The discovery of OGLE-2016-BLG-1195Lb was made possible through microlensing, a technique that detects planets when they pass in front of their stars, causing a brief dimming of the star's light.
It is believed that all the ice on OGLE-2016-BLG-1195Lb consists of freshwater. While this is an interesting finding, it’s highly unlikely that we will be able to access or use this water anytime soon. Traveling at the speed of light, it would take us 13,000 years to reach this exoplanet. Perhaps an advanced alien civilization uses this distant world as a source of freshwater.
9. KELT-9b: The Scorching Exoplanet
KELT-9b holds the record as the hottest exoplanet ever discovered, and it is even vanishing! Located 650 light-years away, KELT-9b is tidally locked to its star, meaning one side of the planet is perpetually facing the star while the other side remains in darkness.
This gas giant is about three times the size of our own Jupiter and burns at a searing temperature of 4,315 degrees Celsius (7,800 °F). That’s hotter than most stars and nearly as hot as the surface of our Sun, which has a temperature of 5,505 degrees Celsius (9,941 °F).
In a few million years, KELT-9b will have exhausted all of its gases and will fade away, leaving only its solitary star behind.
8. GJ 1214b: The Misty Waterworld
GJ 1214b is a massive “waterworld” three times larger than Earth, located 42 light-years away from our solar system. While Earth’s water makes up only 0.05 percent of its total mass, GJ 1214b’s water constitutes a staggering 10 percent of its mass!
It is believed that GJ 1214b may have vast oceans, potentially plunging as deep as 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles). In comparison, Earth’s Mariana Trench—the deepest part of our oceans—reaches a depth of 11 kilometers (7 miles).
We have only explored around 5 percent of Earth’s oceans, yet we've uncovered a multitude of astonishing creatures we never thought possible. Now, just imagine the bizarre and terrifying beings that might inhabit the dark depths of GJ 1214b’s oceans!
7. PSR J1719-1438 b: The Diamond Planet
PSR J1719-1438 b is a planet made entirely of diamond!
A massive, carbon-rich planet with a diameter approximately five times larger than Earth, PSR J1719-1438 b is located around 4,000 light-years from our solar system. The immense gravitational pressure has caused its carbon to crystallize, transforming it into an enormous diamond.
This exoplanet orbits a millisecond pulsar known as PSR J1719-1438. Astronomers speculate that the pulsar was once a massive star that ended its life in a supernova, leaving behind a stellar remnant. These rare millisecond pulsars are believed to form by siphoning material from a nearby companion star.
In this case, the companion star was likely a white dwarf, which is the fate of our Sun once it exhausts its nuclear fuel and dies. A white dwarf is a remnant that no longer undergoes fusion.
Here, the millisecond pulsar is thought to have consumed material from its white dwarf companion. Left with just 0.1 percent of its original mass, the white dwarf then gave rise to a peculiar crystalline companion to the pulsar— the diamond planet.
6. Kepler-16b: The Real-Life Tatooine
Kepler-16b is essentially the real-life counterpart to the Star Wars planet Tatooine. This is because Kepler-16b is one of the rare exoplanets discovered to orbit a binary star system.
Kepler-16b has a mass approximately 105 times that of Earth and a radius 8.5 times larger than our own planet. This exoplanet's atmosphere consists of hydrogen, methane, and traces of helium. Situated around 200 light-years from our solar system, Kepler-16b completes a full orbit around its two stars every 627 Earth years.
While Kepler-16b may resemble Tatooine, it is incapable of supporting life. So, don’t expect any droids to be hanging around!
5. Kepler-10b: The Scorched World
Kepler-10b holds the title of the smallest exoplanet discovered to date, with its surface believed to be covered in vast oceans of lava. Located approximately 560 light-years away from Earth, it was the first rocky planet ever discovered outside our solar system, marking a significant step in humanity’s journey into space exploration.
Temperatures on Kepler-10b can soar up to 1,400 degrees Celsius (2,500 °F). This extreme heat causes the surface rocks to melt and form large pools, resulting in massive lava oceans scattered across the planet. Due to its high density, scientists believe Kepler-10b contains a substantial amount of iron, which likely gives the lava a bright red hue.
4. TrES-2b: The Dark Planet
TrES-2b is the darkest exoplanet ever discovered, reflecting less than 1 percent of the sunlight that reaches it. This makes it even darker than coal or black acrylic paint. Its extreme darkness made it incredibly difficult to detect, which makes its discovery an extraordinary achievement.
This prompts a crucial question: How many exoplanets have we overlooked due to the absence of sufficient light?
TrES-2b is located approximately 750 light-years away from Earth. Its atmosphere consists of vaporized sodium, potassium, and titanium oxide, all substances known to absorb light. Despite this, the exact reason for the planet's extreme darkness remains a mystery, one that may never be fully understood.
Maybe an alien civilization resides on this peculiar planet, and we are simply unaware of their existence.
3. CoRoT-7b: The Planet That Snows Rocks
CoRoT-7b is an extraordinary exoplanet, mainly because it experiences snowfall made of rocks!
Like many other exoplanets, CoRoT-7b is tidally locked to its star. The sun-facing side reaches scorching temperatures of up to 2,200 degrees Celsius (4,000 °F), while the opposite side plummets to a chilling -210 degrees Celsius (-350 °F).
On the star-facing side, the lava becomes so hot that it evaporates, much like water does here on Earth. This forms massive stone clouds that later condense on the cooler side of the planet, where it rains down enormous rocks. If we could withstand the extreme conditions, it would be an awe-inspiring spectacle to behold.
On the heated side of the planet, magma falls as rain. Meanwhile, on the cold side, the magma solidifies before hitting the surface, much like snow does on Earth. This results in a deadly phenomenon: rock snow, which would prove fatal if you were caught in it.
2. 55 Cancri e: The Planet With Strange Water
55 Cancri e is locked in a perpetual orbit around its sun, with water on its surface existing in both liquid and gas states. This exoplanet orbits its star 25 times closer than Mercury orbits our Sun, completing an entire orbit in just 18 hours—astonishingly fast.
Because 55 Cancri e is tidally locked with its star, one side always faces the sun while the other remains in the dark. The side facing the star experiences water in a supercritical state, existing as both a liquid and a gas simultaneously.
55 Cancri e has a mass approximately 7.8 times that of Earth and is about twice as large as our planet.
1. HD 189733b: The Planet That Rains Glass
One of the most fascinating exoplanets on this list, HD 189733b, located 63 light-years away, experiences sideways glass rain. Yes, you read that correctly. The intense winds on this infernal planet can reach speeds up to 8,700 kilometers per hour (5,400 mph), making any precipitation fall sideways.
The planet’s atmosphere, rich in silica, causes the clouds to rain molten glass, which hardens as it descends. The planet’s wind drives the glass shards at such high speeds that they slice through the air horizontally, wreaking havoc on anything in their path. Just imagine being caught in that storm!
