Astronomers have discovered a completely new type of planet that is unlike any found in our Solar System.

Scientists have utilized data from the Webb Space Telescope, along with modeling, to confirm the existence of a completely new type of planet, termed super-Venus. These planets are unlike any world in our Solar System. The findings of the study, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, contribute another piece to the puzzle of how planets are formed, as reported by Phys.

Astronomers have already discovered over 5,000 planets beyond our Solar System. Many of these do not resemble any of the eight planets that orbit the Sun, complicating our understanding of their true nature. One of the most common types of planets falls in size between Earth and Neptune.

To this day, scientists debate whether these planets are rocky, Earth-like worlds with thick hydrogen-rich atmospheres, or icy worlds more akin to Neptune, with atmospheres filled with water vapor.

Studying such planets in the past has been challenging due to the thick clouds likely characteristic of these worlds, which complicates the investigation of their atmospheres.

Astronomers used the Webb Space Telescope to examine a bright example of such mysterious planets. The planet known as GJ 1214 b is located 48 light-years away from us and is larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune.

The study revealed that it is neither a super-Earth with a hydrogen atmosphere nor a sub-Neptune with a water atmosphere. Instead, scientists found a significant concentration of carbon dioxide, comparable to the amount of this gas in the dense atmosphere of Venus. However, the dataset was too small to draw any definitive conclusions.

Consequently, scientists created various models of such worlds, incorporating both previously known data and new information. The models that best matched the new data indicated that indeed, there are worlds in space with carbon dioxide-rich atmospheres. This new type of planet has been termed super-Venus by the researchers.

At the same time, the study's authors emphasize that further research is needed to confirm this new discovery and to gather more data on these common yet enigmatic planets.