Planet named after Egyptian god
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The distant world, orbiting a bright star in the constellation of Pegasus 150 light years from Earth, is known officially as HD 209458b, but has been nicknamed Osiris, the god of the Egyptian underworld.
Osiris races around its yellow, Sun-like star at a distance of around seven million kilometres (4.37 million miles) — less than a twentieth of the distance between Earth and the Sun — which means its “year” is just three and a half days.
On one side its surface is heated to a scorching 1,100 degrees Celsius (1,800 degrees Fahrenheit), although the other side is far cooler.
The planet’s atmosphere is laced with poisonous carbon monoxide and prey to storm winds that blow from 5,000 to 10,000 kph (3,100-6,200 mph), says the paper.
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