WASP-12b is a gas giant exoplanet discovered in 2008 by the SuperWASP project, which uses robotic telescopes to search for planets outside our solar system. It orbits its star at a distance of about 3.4 million kilometers, completing a full orbit in just 26 hours. This incredibly close orbit has stretched the planet into an ellipsoid shape, often compared to a rugby ball or a giant egg, due to the powerful tidal forces exerted by its star. The planet's surface temperatures range between 2,200 and 2,500 degrees Celsius, hot enough to melt any known metal on Earth. In a study published in December 2019 in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, a team of astrophysicists led by Samuel Yee from Princeton University predicted that WASP-12b will collide with its star in about 3 million years. This estimate is much shorter than earlier predictions and is based on observations showing the planet's orbit is slowly shrinking over time. The study suggests that the planet's orbital decay could help scientists better understand how stars behave under the influence of gravitational tides and how they dissipate energy. Astronomers have also observed that the atmosphere of WASP-12b is slowly escaping into space, creating a tail similar to that of a comet. This phenomenon, known as planetary evaporation, is being studied using data from the Hubble Space Telescope. Additionally, Russian astronomers have detected unusual changes in brightness around the planet, which might indicate the presence of an exomoon or a Trojan body—an object that shares an orbit with the planet. This discovery is surprising, given the intense gravitational forces in WASP-12b's environment, which make the existence of such objects less likely. WASP-12b is located in the constellation of the Charioteer, approximately 870 light-years from Earth. It is classified as a "hot Jupiter," a type of gas giant that orbits very close to its star. Its extreme conditions challenge existing models of planetary stability and atmospheric behavior, highlighting the dynamic and often unpredictable nature of exoplanetary systems. The study of such planets helps scientists refine their understanding of how planets form, evolve, and interact with their stars.