HD 100546 b is one of the most unusual known exoplanets and possibly one of the few planets observed by astronomers during the process of formation. It is located approximately 360 light-years from Earth and orbits the young star HD 100546. The system is only about 5-10 million years old, making it practically a newborn planet in cosmic terms. Its main notoriety is its enormous size. Some estimates place its radius at approximately 6.9 times that of Jupiter, corresponding to a diameter of approximately 965,000 kilometers, compared to Jupiter's 140,000 kilometers. If these estimates are correct, HD 100546 b's diameter is almost 7 times larger than Jupiter's, reaching approximately 70% of the Sun's diameter. However, scientists believe that part of the observed size may not belong to the planet itself, but to the surrounding cloud of gas and dust, or even an entire circumplanetary disk, from which satellites may form in the future. Therefore, the planet's actual size may be significantly smaller — on the order of 3–4 Jupiter radi i— though even then, it remains a true giant. The mass of HD 100546 b is uncertain: various studies have estimated it to be between several Jupiter masses and approximately 20–25 Jupiter masses. The planet is very distant from its star — approximately 53 astronomical units (AU), significantly beyond the orbit of Neptune in the Solar System. One orbit around its star takes approximately 249 Earth years. Of particular scientific interest is that HD 100546 b is surrounded by material that continues to fall onto it, indicating that the planet is still growing. Astronomers may be observing a process similar to what happened to Jupiter approximately 4.5 billion years ago. This is why HD 100546 b is considered one of the most important objects for studying the birth of gas giants and the evolution of planetary systems. #jupiter #scary #facts #astrophysics - @holvek