"Discovery of Egg-Shaped Planet Captivates Astronomers"
Astronomers have discovered an egg-shaped exoplanet, WASP-12b, hurtling towards its parent star at a faster rate than previously thought, with new research suggesting it may collide with the star in just three million years. The planet, located 1,200 lightyears from Earth, is an "ultra-hot Jupiter" and is about twice the size of our Jupiter, with a surface temperature of about 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The gravitational tides from its close proximity to the star have caused the planet to take on an egg-like shape.