WASP-12b is the 9th Interstellar Object, the 2nd Exoplanet and the 1st Giant obtained in The Beyond Bubble Universe, which can generate Stardust. (Unlocked at Rank 20, branching off of Fomalhaut's Ring)
In-Game Description[]
"The parent star of WASP-12b is a yellow dwarf, like the Sun, but it is ripping its child to pieces. The planet orbits so closely that powerful tidal forces from the star’s gravity warp it into an odd egglike shape called a Roche lobe."
Traits[]
Common[]
- Sizzling Hot Jupiter (Speed):
"The planet WASP-12b is a “hot Jupiter,” a gas giant that sizzles in close orbit to its star. It’s twice the size of Jupiter—for now. As chunks of the planet burn off, the star’s gravity gobbles them up. In 10 million years, there could be nothing left of WASP-12b."
- Brink of Doom (Payout):
"WASP-12b orbits near the Roche limit, the point where tidal forces outmatch gravitational attraction—the force holding it together. If it were a little closer to its star, the planet would rip apart. Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 hit this limit before crashing into Jupiter."
Rare[]
- Indirect Observation (Payout):
"Most exoplanets are found by their effects. A planet passes in front of a distant star, and its gravity bends the starlight. Or it transits its own star and briefly dims it. Or its gravity makes the star wobble, shifting the spectrum red or blue—the radial velocity method."
Epic[]
- Cosmology (Speed):
"The scientific study of the universe asks the very biggest questions. How did it form? What came before? How does it work? Is it infinite? Will it die? All the pieces we observe—comets, moons, planets, stars, galaxies, nebulae, and even voids—provide some answers."
- Dark Matter (Payout):
"Dark matter acts like a superhero. It’s everywhere in space and yet invisible. Its gravity distorts huge objects that we can see. It can even buttress a dwarf galaxy against annihilation by a giant one. The duo of dark matter and dark energy make up 95% of the universe."
- Dark Energy (Discount):
"Little is known about dark energy, except that it’s repulsive. Opposing gravity, this strange force causes matter to scatter rather than attract, pushing our universe to expand faster and faster. Dark energy makes up 68% of the universe’s mass-energy density."
Constellations[]
- Eridanus (1.5x Speed):
"Eridanus, The River, is the longest constellation in the sky. It starts near Rigel and twists and turns all the way to its brightest star, Achernar (“River’s End” in Arabic). It was named after Eridu, an early Sumerian city in the marshes of what is now southern Iraq."
- Canis Major (2x Speed):
"Imagine Canis Major, a “Great Dog,” on two hind legs, chasing Lepus the Hare. Or maybe it’s bounding after Orion the Hunter. Meanwhile, Orion’s blue-gemmed belt points back to Sirius, the bright star that bejewels the Great Dog’s neck. A storybook in the sky!"
- Ursa Minor (1.5x Speed):
"Ursa Minor, the “Little Bear,” features Polaris and the Little Dipper, which adds a long celestial tail. (Real bears don’t have tails.) The week of December 17 features the Ursids, an annual show of meteors courtesy of the dust from Comet 8P/Tuttle."
Astronomy Mission[]
WASP-12b's Astronomy Mission is the Kepler Space Telescope, titled Naming Planets.
"Exoplanet designations include a name and lowercase letter in order of discovery, starting with b. The name can be its star (Proxima b), a star catalog (GJ 436 b), or mission (Kepler-22b). WASP-12b is the first planet in the 12th system spotted by the WASP observatories."
Kepler Space Telescope[]
Picture TBA
Naming Planets[]
Reduce WASP-12b cost by up to x10 at Rank 9.
| Name | Duration(hh: mm: ss) | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Naming Planets I | 00:05:00 | WASP-12b discount x2 |
| Naming Planets II | 00:15:00 | WASP-12b discount x3 |
| Naming Planets III | 00:50:00 | WASP-12b discount x4 |
| Naming Planets IV | 02:10:00 | WASP-12b discount x5 |
| Naming Planets V | 04:40:00 | WASP-12b discount x6 |
| Naming Planets VI | 08:50:00 | WASP-12b discount x7 |
| Naming Planets VII | 15:20:00 | WASP-12b discount x8 |
| Naming Planets VIII | 24:10:00 | WASP-12b discount x9 |
| Naming Planets IX | 36:30:00 | WASP-12b discount x10 |
System Components[]
Exoplanet[]
WASP-12b is a hot Jupiter orbiting the star WASP-12. It has one of the lowest densities for exoplanets, and has a very low albedo.
Achievements[]
- Portal to the Jupiters (Rank 3):
"The first planet discovered around a sunlike star, in 1995, was a hot Jupiter. Now named Dimidium, 51 Pegasi b kicked off a frenzy of hot Jupiter finds using the transit method—observing the brief dimming of a star as a planet crosses in front of it."
- Slingshot Planet (Rank 6):
"WASP-12b orbits every 26 hours. By contrast, we have yet to witness HR 5183 b circle its sunlike star. In our solar system, this giant world would swoop closer to the Sun than Jupiter’s orbit and then slingshot out beyond Neptune. Its eccentric orbit takes 74 years."
Real Image[]
Hypothetical Image of WASP-12b
Sources[]
- WASP-12b — image above taken
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