Space & Astronomy

Astronomers have discovered a planet that is the shape of a lemon

By T.K. Randall
December 18, 2025

Image: James Webb Space Telescope
Credit: NASA/dima_zel/NOIRLab / CC BY 4.0 (adapted) Contrary to what some flat Earthers still claim, planets aren't flat discs - but now according to a new and rather unique discovery, they aren't always the shape we typically expect either.

This new world - dubbed PSR J2322-2650b - can be found orbiting a pulsar, which is a particularly small but very dense star that rotates extremely rapidly.

This type of arrangement is often referred to as a black widow system and although these aren't particularly rare, questions still remain about how they come to form in the first place.

But by far the oddest thing about this particular extrasolar world is the fact that the gravitational pull of the pulsar has elongated it into a shape more reminiscent of a lemon than a typical planet.Even its atmosphere is unusual given the circumstances.

"Instead of finding the normal molecules we expect to see on an exoplanet - like water, methane, and carbon dioxide - we saw molecular carbon," said the University of Chicago's Michael Zhang.

"It's very hard to imagine how you get this extremely carbon-enriched composition."

"It seems to rule out every known formation mechanism."

Whether or not scientists will be able to solve this particular mystery remains, for now at least, unclear.

Source: Engadget

Tags: Extrasolar, Planet, Alien