This Strange Jupiter-Like Planet Is Unlike Any Scientists Have Seen Before

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NASA is constantly finding new planets all over the universe. Its latest discovery of a Jupiter-like planet with an unusual formation has become one of the year's most fascinating. The constant variety and strangeness of outer space is often difficult to comprehend. Just our own Solar System is fascinating enough on its own. Mars is a rocky world with an Earth-like past, Jupiter is a massive gas giant, and Saturn has a beautiful ring system. Those planets alone are enough to keep scientists busy for years.

But planets in the Solar System barely scratch the tip of the iceberg. Astronomers estimate that at least 100 billion planets are in the Milky Way — and even more in other galaxies across the universe. While humans may never locate all of those planets, astronomers and scientists are doing their best to find as many as possible. A strange 'potato planet' was discovered earlier this year, as was an alien planet with iron clouds and raining gemstones. As of March 2022, NASA's confirmed the discovery of 5000 exoplanets outside our Solar System. And as impressive as that is, NASA's not stopping its planet-hunting any time soon.

Related: NASA Finds 5000 Exoplanets, And They All Sound Very Strange

On April 4, NASA announced the discovery of the latest exoplanet — now known as AB Aurigae b. AB Aurigae b is a gas giant not unlike Jupiter. However, while the gaseous composition is similar, everything else about the planet is quite strange. For one thing, AB Aurigae b is believed to be nine times more massive than Jupiter. Considering Jupiter's mass is already over two and a half times greater than all other planets in the Solar System combined, the mass of AB Aurigae b is no joke. Making its huge size all the more perplexing is