10 Insane Planets You Won't Believe Exist
7. The One That's Darker Than Coal
Hey, do you remember Thor: The Dark World, AKA the least of the MCU films? No? Fair enough. Here's a quick refresher: Thor had to fight Malekith and the Dark Elves, who hailed from Svartalfheim, a world of perpetual night. Fun fact: director Alan Taylor actually filmed those Svartalfheim scenes on the exoplanet, TrES-2b.
Fine. Not really. But he might as well have, considering that TrES-2b is the darkest known exoplanet in the universe.
Located in the constellation Draco (which feels somehow appropriate), TrES-2b - also known as Kepler-1b - is, like, ludicrously dark. It only reflects 1% of its light, and that's at the absolute most. According to Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics astronomer David Kipping, that's darker than "acrylic paint" or the "blackest lump of coal." The faint light it does emit is a deep red color, reminiscent of burning embers.
Scientists aren't quite sure why it's so dark, but one possibility is that it lacks any sort of reflective clouds. At roughly 1,800 °F, it's far too hot for clouds to form. That's one explanation. But let's all be honest: the most reasonable explanation is that TrES-2b is the final refuge of the forsaken souls of the damned. That's decidedly unscientific, but come on. Look at it.