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Exoplanet PSR J2322-2650b (Artist’s Concept)

Partially illuminated, lemon-shaped planet appears against a black background. The planet is most brightly illuminated at its elongated tip on its right side. On the left side, which is wider, the planet trails off into the darkness of the background. The planet is colored in varying, mottled shades of red, light pink, and fuchsia. Most of the pink occurs closest to the tip, while most of the fuchsia is at the top and bottom edges.

This artist’s concept shows what the exoplanet PSR J2322-2650b, which orbits a pulsar, may look like. Because of its extremely tight orbit, the planet’s entire year — the time it takes to go around the pulsar — is just 7.8 hours. Gravitational forces from the much heavier pulsar are pulling the Jupiter-mass world into this bizarre lemon shape. This planet, studied with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, appears to have an exotic helium-and-carbon-dominated atmosphere unlike any ever seen before. Its atmospheric composition challenges current theories of how the planet may have formed. 

  • Release Date
    December 16, 2025
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Webb Observes Exoplanet Whose Composition Defies Explanation
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Illustration: NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI)

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Related Images & Videos

llustration labeled u201cartistu2019s conceptu201d at right bottom corner. At left bottom corner, a partially illuminated, lemon-shaped exoplanet appears against a black background. This planet is most brightly illuminated at its elongated tip on its right side. On the left side, which is wider, the planet trails off into the darkness of the background. The planet is colored in varying, mottled shades of red, light pink, and fuchsia. Most of the pink occurs closest to the tip, while most of the fuchsia is at the top and bottom edges. At right top corner, a white beam emanates diagonally, oriented from 10 ou2019clock to 4 ou2019clock, from either side of a small, glowing, white star.

Exoplanet PSR J2322-2650b and Pulsar (Artist's Concept)

This artist’s concept shows what the exoplanet called PSR J2322-2650b (left) may look like as it orbits a rapidly spinning neutron star called a pulsar (right). Gravitational forces from the much heavier pulsar are pulling the Jupiter-mass world into a bizarre lemon shape.

Against a black background, a white beam emanates diagonally, oriented from 11 ou2019clock to 5 ou2019clock, from either side of a small, glowing, white star. To the right of this star, a partially illuminated, lemon-shaped exoplanet appears. This planet is most brightly illuminated at its elongated tip on its left side. The planetu2019s right side, which is wider, appears to trail off into the darkness of the background. The planet is colored in varying, mottled shades of red, light pink, and fuchsia. Most of the pink occurs closest to the tip, while most of the fuchsia is at the top and bottom edges.

Exoplanet PSR J2322-2650b Orbiting a Pulsar

This animation shows an exotic exoplanet orbiting a distant pulsar, or rapidly rotating neutron star with radio pulses. The planet, which orbits about 1 million miles away from the pulsar, is stretched into a lemon shape by the pulsar’s strong gravitational tides. NASA&rsqu...

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Details

Last Updated
Dec 16, 2025
Location
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Contact
Media

Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov

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