4) TrES-4 (Sort Of Like Balsa Wood)
TrES-4 is a member of a rare and confusing group of planets called “Puffy Planets”. These puffy chaps are big, (TrES-4 is 1.7 times the size of Jupiter) but they have really, really low densities. Because of this low density, which is about the same as balsa wood, they can whizz about like nobody’s business. TrES-4 orbits its home star once every 3.5 days rather than earth’s rather slovenly 365 days.
The planet earns the accolade of being the largest planet outside of our solar system to have been found to date. Its odd makeup means scientists are having to re-look at their theories, a planet as wishy-washy as this shouldn’t really have managed to develop at all.
TrES-4 is as old as our sun and lies 1,400 light years from earth.
