Scientists have made significant leaps in developing techniques to find planets beyond our solar system, discovering new worlds numbering in the hundreds each year.

The year 2023 witnessed important discoveries of several new and intriguing planets, adding to the more than 5000 confirmed planets outside the solar system.

• A tree in Brazil that was believed to have gone extinct 185 years ago has been discovered

1. Giant Gas Planet Smertrios Earlier in 2023, observations using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) confirmed the presence of heavy elements (carbon and oxygen) in the atmosphere of the distant planet outside the solar system HD149026b, also known as Smertrios. This discovery surprised astronomers as gas giants in our solar system, like Jupiter and Saturn, typically contain only hydrogen and helium in their atmospheres.
2. Planet TOI-4600c NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) added approximately 2000 planets to our list of external planets. In 2023, a specific gas giant planet called TOI-4600c stood out. It orbits its host star every 482.82 days or 16 months, giving it the longest year of any planet discovered by TESS. The cool gas giant’s surface temperature is estimated at -78 degrees Celsius (-110 degrees Fahrenheit).

• A mummy over 3,000 years old discovered in Peru

1. Planet Beta Pictoris b Using 17 years of data, astronomers created a time-lapse video of the orbit of the external planet Beta Pictoris b. Compressed into 10 seconds, the video captures 75% of the planet’s orbit around its host star, completing the orbit in 23 Earth years. The planet is located 64 light-years away from Earth and has a mass 12 times that of Jupiter, making it the largest planet in our solar system.
2. TRAPPIST System Planets Lack Atmosphere Infrared observations using the James Webb Space Telescope’s Medium Infrared Instrument (MIRI) indicated that two inner planets of the TRAPPIST planetary system may lack atmospheres. TRAPPIST-1b, slightly larger than Earth, is believed to be a rocky planet without an atmosphere, with a scorching surface temperature of 232 degrees Celsius (450 degrees Fahrenheit).

• A giant sea monster discovered in Morocco: an animal that devoured everything it saw

1. Small Neptune Shrouded in Mist Astronomers directed the James Webb Space Telescope towards a “small Neptune” planet called Gliese 1214 b and found that it was surrounded by thick mist or cloud layers. Initially challenging to observe due to its reflective atmosphere, scientists believe the planet likely contains large amounts of water vapor. The planet, located 48 light-years away from Earth, is unlikely to have any liquid oceans on its surface.
2. Metallic Clouds on External Planet LTT9779 b Astronomers identified an external planet called LTT9779 b, reflecting 80% of the light shining on it from its host star. In comparison, Earth reflects 30% of its light. The superheated planet, located 264 light-years away, reflects exceptionally due to a high concentration of metals in its atmosphere. With five times the width of Earth, it earned the title of “largest cosmic mirror ever discovered.”

• Bodies of two young men discovered on Air Algérie plane

1. Rocky Atmosphere Planet Scientists identified a planet with temperatures reaching 2400 degrees Celsius (4350 degrees Fahrenheit), hot enough to vaporize iron. Approximately 634 light-years away, this “super-hot Jupiter” is thought to have an atmosphere composed of rocky elements, with 11 chemical elements detected. The planet receives its high temperatures from its proximity to its star, earning it the classification of a “super-hot Jupiter.”
2. Planet VHS 1256 b with Two Suns The James Webb Space Telescope discovered the atmosphere of an external planet known as VHS 1256 b, located 40 light-years away from Earth. Scientists found a cloudy world filled with turbulent clouds made of sand-like particles called silicates, periodically raining into the planet’s hot, flame-like atmosphere. Described as peculiar, the planet orbits two stars instead of one, taking approximately 10,000 years to complete an orbit around its binary host stars, which are four times the distance between Pluto and the Sun.