Exoplanets all over the universe come in different sizes, compositions, colors, and temperatures. However, they typically don’t come in different shapes, as nearly every single planet ever discovered is thought to be spherical in shape — except for one.
New data from the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Characterising Exoplanets Satellite (CHEOPS) space observatory, as well as data collected by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope, has revealed the shape of an exoplanet that features many extreme characteristics. The CHEOPS data is the first time astrophysicists have ever detected the deformation of an exoplanet and provides valuable information into the internal structure of exoplanets.