7 Creepy worlds across the cosmos

Burned alive

Planet: Kepler-70b

Discovered: 2011

Distance from Earth: 4,200 lightyears

It is thought that this rocky world used to be a gas giant like Jupiter until it was engulfed by its star. Kepler-70 expanded into a red giant, swallowing the surrounding planets and spitting them back out again as it shrank to its current sub-dwarf form. The planets survived, but taking a trip into a star did not leave them unscathed. Kepler-70b’s rocky form is all that remains after its gaseous atmosphere was vaporised. It’s also the hottest exoplanet ever discovered, with temperatures estimated at around 6,800 degrees Celsius.

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