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WASP-104b is a hot Jupiter exoplanet that orbits the star WASP-104.[1] It is considered to be one of the darkest exoplanets discovered.[3][4] WASP-104b was discovered in 2014; according to a 2018 study at Keele University, the planet's dense atmosphere of potassium and sodium absorbs more than 97% of light it receives.[3]
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovery date | 2014 |
| transit | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Eccentricity | 0.014+0.019 −0.010 |
| 1.75540646±0.00000028 d | |
| Star | WASP-104 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 1.094±0.013RJ | |
| Mass | 1.205+0.049 −0.044MJ |
Researchers have considered WASP-104b to be one of the darkest exoplanets ever discovered.[3][5] In 2018, scientists from Keele University said the exoplanet's thick sodium and potassium atmosphere can absorb more than 97% of the light that falls on it.[3] A paper published by Cornell University Library describes the exoplanet as "darker than charcoal" and "one of the least reflective planets found to date", even darker than WASP-12b which absorbs 94% of it receives.[3][6] The only other exoplanet thought to be darker than WASP-104b is TrES-2b.[3] Its reflectance has been compared with that of WASP-12b despite being somewhat darker.[7]
In 2020, a transmission spectroscopy study has indicated that WASP-104b has a red-colored cloud deck and possibly hazes.[8] WASP-104b's size is comparable to that of Jupiter; its mass and radius are 1.272 times and 1.137 times greater than Jupiter's, respectively.[9] It has 12.5 times the mass of Earth and a low density, and may be composed of gas.[9]
WASP-104b is the only known exoplanet to orbit WASP-104, a 3-billion-year-old G8 star. WASP-104b's orbital period is 1.8 days; it is located 2.6 million miles from its star and has an orbital radius of 0.02918 astronomical units (2,712,000 miles).[10][9] WASP-104 and its planet are located 466 light years away from the Sun in the constellation Leo.[9][3][10]
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