An exoplanet discovered in 2020 contains the coldest temperatures ever measured on a planetary body, according to scientists.
The planet, called WD 1856+534 b, is a gas giant exoplanet the size of nearly 14 Jupiters and nearly six times its mass, according to NASA. Recent observations from the James Webb Space Telescope, the most powerful telescope in space, suggest that the exoplanet’s average temperature is about -125 degrees Fahrenheit, making it the coldest planet ever detected, according to a paper published April 23 in arXiv.
Life can grow at temperatures as low as 5 degrees Fahrenheit, scientists say. However, few organisms can complete their life cycle at temperatures below 28.4 degrees Fahrenheit.
To date, emissions from no planets cooler than about 35.33 degrees Fahrenheit — a temperature comparable to Earth — have been directly detected, the researchers said.
It is likely twice the age of the Milky Way and orbits a K-type star — also known as orange dwarfs — in just 1.4 days, according to NASA. K-type stars are cooler and less massive than the sun.