CUTTING EDGE
Our experts examine the hottest new research
The planet with a sapphire sky
HAT-P-7b (or Kepler-2b) is an exotic exoplanet. Discovered in 2008, it has a radius greater than that of Jupiter and an orbital plane so tilted relative to its star (108°) that it’s nearly in a polar orbit. But what makes the planet truly exceptional is how hot it is. HAT-P-7b hugs its bright, A-class star so tightly that its orbit takes less than three days - it’s over 20 times closer to its sun than Earth is to ours. Day-side temperatures on the planet are calculated to be regularly above 2,200°C - similar to many stars themselves. Fittingly, HAT-P-7b
