Artists’s Impression by David A. Aguilar

(Artists's Impression by David A. Aguilar)

An exoplanet more than 1,000 light years away, named Kepler-421b, has been discovered to have the longest year of any exoplanet ever spotted: 704 days. The planet orbits a type K star that is much cooler and dimmer than our own sun, giving Kepler-421b an approximate temperature of -135 degrees Fahrenheit.

What's special about this planet, besides its lengthy orbit, is that it is beyond the snow line—a dividing line between rocky and gas planets. Beyond the snow line, water can turn into ice grains that form the beginnings of gas giant planets. All gas giants must form beyond this line, but many are found very close to its star, suggesting that they migrate inward early in their life. Kepler-421b is the first example of a potentially non-migrating gas giant planet in another solar system.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io