Astronomers discover potato-shaped planet

Published January 13, 2022 11:46pm ET



Astronomers at the European Space Agency have discovered an oblong-shaped planet that resembles a potato.

The planet, called WASP-103b, is the first planet discovered that “has a deformed shape more like that of a rugby ball than a sphere,” the ESA announced Tuesday. Located in the Hercules constellation, researchers say the planet’s strong tidal forces, caused by the host star’s close proximity, bent it out of the traditional spherical shape.

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