HomeScienceJames Webb telescope spots a bizarre lemon-like planet discovered 2,000 light-years away

James Webb telescope spots a bizarre lemon-like planet discovered 2,000 light-years away

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has discovered a lemon-shaped exoplanet, PSR J2322‑2650b, with an extreme atmosphere unlike any previously seen. The bizarre world defies planetary science and stretches imagination beyond limits.

December 22, 2025 / 14:41 IST
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PSR J2322‑2650b, a lemon-shaped exoplanet orbiting a pulsar, revealed by NASA’s Webb Telescope. (Image: NASA)
PSR J2322‑2650b, a lemon-shaped exoplanet orbiting a pulsar, revealed by NASA’s Webb Telescope. (Image: NASA)

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has spotted a bizarre world. PSR J2322‑2650b lies about 2,000 light-years away. Scientists were stunned by its extreme and unusual lemon shape. The planet is stretched by the gravity of a pulsar. This discovery challenges everything known about planetary formation today.

A Lemon-Shaped Oddity in the Cosmic Ocean

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Unlike normal planets, it is far from being spherical. Gravity from its dead stellar host pulls and distorts endlessly. The planet orbits close to a pulsar, a collapsed star. Pulsars emit extreme gravitational and radiation forces continuously over time. This celestial tug-of-war sculpts PSR J2322‑2650b into an elongated shape.

An Atmosphere that Defies All Expectations