Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Kepler-70b, a planet hotter than the Sun at 6,800°C, is described by NASA as “another circle of hell.” Located 4,000 light-years away, this fiery world is no ordinary exoplanet.
Scientists believe Kepler-70b started as a gas giant like Jupiter. But after spiraling towards its dying star, it was scorched down to a rocky core.
This infernal planet orbits a “now-dead” star, Kepler-70, which was once a red giant. Now a dense remnant, it still exerts extreme gravitational influence.
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Surprisingly, Kepler-70b survived its star’s death, transforming into a burned world smaller than Earth. NASA likens its scarred state to Freddy Krueger.
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First detected in 2011, NASA calls Kepler-70b a “horror world,” as it radiates starlight reflections, revealing its existence alongside its sibling, Kepler-70c.
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Kepler-70b’s blistering heat surpasses KELT-9b, the hottest confirmed exoplanet at 4,326°C, securing its place as one of the universe’s most extreme worlds.
Scientists predict Kepler-70, the planet’s host star, will eventually exhaust its helium, transitioning into a white dwarf—a dim, dense stellar remnant.
Kepler-70b lies 4,015 light-years away, a near-impossible distance. Traveling there at Apollo speeds would still take a staggering 965 million years.
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NASA’s Kepler telescope has discovered over 5,500 exoplanets, but few are as hauntingly extreme as Kepler-70b—a planet that defies the odds by existing in a place most would perish.