WASP-193b is an exoplanet with a reported density of 0.059 grams per cubic centimeter—close to the roughly 0.05 grams per cubic centimeter cited for cotton candy. That is why it has been nicknamed the “cotton-candy” or “clown” planet. The comparison describes how diffuse the planet is; it is not made of sugar.
What is the clown planet called?
The planet is WASP-193b, an exoplanet reported to be about 1,200 light-years away. “Clown planet” is a playful headline label, not an official classification. Astronomers describe it as an extremely low-density super-Neptune: a world much larger than Neptune but remarkably diffuse.
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How big and light is WASP-193b?
Reports describe WASP-193b as roughly 50 times the size of Neptune, while its density is reported as 0.059 grams per cubic centimeter. That density is about one percent of Earth’s, and close to the approximately 0.05 grams per cubic centimeter used for cotton candy in the comparison. The figures illustrate the planet’s unusual combination of enormous size and very low density.
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Is WASP-193b really made of cotton candy?
No. Cotton candy is an analogy for density, not a claim about the planet’s ingredients. WASP-193b is a distant exoplanet, and the comparison does not establish that it contains spun sugar or anything resembling a confection. Its nickname is memorable because it helps convey just how spread out the planet is.
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What do scientists know—and what remains uncertain?
The reported measurements make WASP-193b an unusually low-density world, but an explanation for how it acquired or maintains its extended structure is a separate question. The discovery report described the underlying paper as not yet peer reviewed, so its measurements and interpretation should be treated as an early research result rather than a settled account of the planet’s formation.
The reported possible age—up to six billion years—adds a puzzle. Super-puff planets are often discussed as young objects whose extended atmospheres may be temporary. If WASP-193b is that old, its age complicates that simple picture; it does not, by itself, explain why the planet is so diffuse.
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Why were clouds part of the discovery story?
Attempts to study the planet’s atmosphere did not reveal the large water-absorption features researchers had expected. University of Colorado researcher Jessica Libby-Roberts put it this way: “This was completely unexpected. We had planned on observing large water absorption features, but they just weren’t there. We were clouded out!” The remark points to clouds as an obstacle to interpreting atmospheric observations, not evidence that the planet is made of cotton candy.
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