Uploaded January 2018 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The strangest planets ever discovered! These mysterious planets are some of the most bizarre found in the universe
#10. “Life in Infrared”-The Gliese 581 Planetary System is located in the constellation Libra and is about 20 light years away from Earth. The system revolves around a tiny red dwarf star and holds many planets that scientists consider having the possibility of supporting life. One of these planets is Gliese 581 C, the third planet from the star which has an orbit that only takes 13 days. This planet is classified as a super-Earth planet because it is just over 5 times the size of Earth. When it was first discovered it was considered to be a strong candidate for supporting life but many scientists claim that because it is so close to its star that life is unlikely. The planet is strange because it is tidally locked in its orbit, so the same side is always facing the star. Because of this, the temperatures on the nearside are believed to be in excess of 500 degrees celsius, with the far side being beyond freezing cold. If there were to be life on the planet it would have to adapt to being barraged by an insane amount of infrared light. Because of this, any life on the planet would probably be very dark in color, with scientists speculating that if plants could survive they would probably be black.
#9. “Long-Distance Relationship”- HD 106906 is a star system located about 300 light years from Earth within the constellation known as Crux or The Southern Cross. The system that is centered around a 13 million year old pre-main-sequence star that is about one and a half times larger than our Sun. There is only one known planet orbiting the star and that is HD106906 b. This planet is a gas giant that is over 11 times bigger than Jupiter. The planet has the unique designation of being one of the loneliest planets known to man, as it orbits at a farther distance from its star than any other planet identified. Its orbits its star from an estimated distance of 60 billion miles away, which is over twenty-one and a half times further than Neptune is from our sun. Because the planet is still fairly young in galactic age, it still emits extreme amounts of heat leftover from its formation. So while you’d think a planet this far away from its host star would be quite cold, its temperature is estimated to be around 1,500 degrees Celsius.
The strangest planets ever discovered! These mysterious planets are some of the most bizarre found in the universe
#10. “Life in Infrared”-The Gliese 581 Planetary System is located in the constellation Libra and is about 20 light years away from Earth. The system revolves around a tiny red dwarf star and holds many planets that scientists consider having the possibility of supporting life. One of these planets is Gliese 581 C, the third planet from the star which has an orbit that only takes 13 days. This planet is classified as a super-Earth planet because it is just over 5 times the size of Earth. When it was first discovered it was considered to be a strong candidate for supporting life but many scientists claim that because it is so close to its star that life is unlikely. The planet is strange because it is tidally locked in its orbit, so the same side is always facing the star. Because of this, the temperatures on the nearside are believed to be in excess of 500 degrees celsius, with the far side being beyond freezing cold. If there were to be life on the planet it would have to adapt to being barraged by an insane amount of infrared light. Because of this, any life on the planet would probably be very dark in color, with scientists speculating that if plants could survive they would probably be black.
#9. “Long-Distance Relationship”- HD 106906 is a star system located about 300 light years from Earth within the constellation known as Crux or The Southern Cross. The system that is centered around a 13 million year old pre-main-sequence star that is about one and a half times larger than our Sun. There is only one known planet orbiting the star and that is HD106906 b. This planet is a gas giant that is over 11 times bigger than Jupiter. The planet has the unique designation of being one of the loneliest planets known to man, as it orbits at a farther distance from its star than any other planet identified. Its orbits its star from an estimated distance of 60 billion miles away, which is over twenty-one and a half times further than Neptune is from our sun. Because the planet is still fairly young in galactic age, it still emits extreme amounts of heat leftover from its formation. So while you’d think a planet this far away from its host star would be quite cold, its temperature is estimated to be around 1,500 degrees Celsius.
