G. Piotto

When a planet passes in front of a star, the light pierces its atmosphere and absorbs the flavor of gases. Each gas leaves its color fingerprint in the light — a bitter or sweet stroke. Scientists try to read this recipe: what substances and in what proportions are mixed in the air of an alien world.

The carousel spins all the horses in one direction, but one stubbornly gallops against the flow. That's exactly how the planet TOI-1710 b behaves around its star. Using the HARPS-N and GIANO-B instruments, astronomers measured its tilt at 149 degrees. That's nearly a 180-degree flip, meaning the planet orbits "backward" relative to the star's rotation.