Our solar system's largest planet, Jupiter, is a familiar giant. But what if there are planets out there that dwarf even Jupiter? Brace yourself for a mind-bending journey into the world of 'Super-Jupiter' exoplanets!
It's true that Jupiter is one of the biggest planets in the universe, but its size is not solely about mass. Gravity ensures that planets with significantly more mass are denser, not necessarily larger. So, when we imagine massive exoplanets, do they resemble Jupiter? A recent study suggests otherwise.
Let's clarify the basics first. Planets are massive enough to form a spherical shape but not massive enough to initiate nuclear fusion. Stars, on the other hand, have enough mass to fuse hydrogen. Brown dwarfs occupy the intriguing middle ground, too small for full-fledged hydrogen fusion but large enough for some deuterium fusion.
In terms of mass, the threshold for a planet is around 10 Jupiters, while stars start at approximately 90 Jupiters. Brown dwarfs, the middle child, bridge the gap. Interestingly, the most massive brown dwarfs can appear star-like, with surface temperatures reaching almost 3000 K.
But what about the smallest brown dwarfs? With a mass similar to Jupiter, they would have a slightly smaller diameter and a surface temperature of a few hundred Kelvin. This
