Stellar gravity has warped WASP-121 b into a football
This ultra-hot gas giant orbits so close to its host star that tidal forces are physically stretching its atmosphere into an oblong shape.
Located far beyond our solar system, the exoplanet WASP-121 b is an extreme gas giant that orbits its host star at a punishingly close distance. A single year on this world lasts just 30.5 hours. Because it sits so near the edge of its star's gravitational reach, the planet is subjected to immense tidal forces that have warped it from a standard sphere into a shape resembling an American football.
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