Half Planet, Half Star?— These Exoplanets are Hot!

A new mathematical model predicts some exoplanets are hotter than thought, creating strange alien worlds that are half planet and half star.

Hot Jupiters are not found in our solar system, but astronomers have detected evidence showing large populations of these massive worlds in other star systems, huddling close to their parent suns.

For five years, papers showed an unusual trend showing up in studies of these exoplanets— temperatures of these worlds were consistently lower than predictions suggested. Even…