Jupiter-Like Exoplanet With Iron Winds and Molten Metal Rain Discovered by Researchers

Astronomers have discovered that the exoplanet WASP-76b, located about 634 light-years away in the Pisces constellation, experiences extreme weather conditions unlike anything on Earth. With temperatures soaring to around 4,350 degrees Fahrenheit (2,400 degrees Celsius), the planet's atmosphere is ravaged by high-speed iron winds and molten metal rain. These findings highlight how truly alien the atmospheres of exoplanets can be, especially on "hot Jupiters" like WASP-76b.

Unique Atmospheric Phenomena

The exoplanet's close proximity to its star makes it tidally locked, meaning one side of WASP-76b is permanently facing the star. This dayside reaches extreme temperatures that vaporize iron, which is then carried to the planet's cooler nightside by powerful winds. Once there, the iron condenses and falls as molten metal droplets, creating an intense and hostile environment.

The discovery was made by a team of scientists from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the PlanetS National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR PlanetS), led by Ana Rita Costa Silva, a doctoral student at the Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço.

New Insights into Exoplanetary Climates

Using the ESPRESSO instrument on the Very Large Telescope (VLT), the team was able to observe and measure the iron winds in the planet's atmosphere. Christophe Lovis, an astronomer with UNIGE, noted that ESPRESSO's precision allowed the team to gather detailed information on WASP-76b's dynamic processes. The new findings will help scientists create 3D climate models, offering a better understanding of planetary climates beyond our solar system.

In conclusion, WASP-76b continues to reveal extraordinary details about exoplanet atmospheres, providing valuable insights into the weather patterns on planets outside our solar system. The discovery of iron winds and molten metal rain deepens our understanding of "hot Jupiter" planets, offering new perspectives on how extreme planetary climates can be.

 



from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/pgMrwdJ

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

COVID-19 origins: Should we pay more attention to the lab leak theory and formally investigate it?

Image
A year and a half into the pandemic, we still do not know exactly where the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, came from. The prevailing view so far has been that the virus “spilled over” from bats into humans. But there are increasing calls to investigate the possibility that it emerged from a lab in Wuhan, China, where Covid first appeared at the end of 2019. So what do we know for sure, and what do we need still to find out? We know the sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is close to that of bat coronaviruses . Several decades ago its “ancestor” was circulating in bat populations in southern Asia. But there are still many unanswered questions: we don’t know how the virus arrived in Wuhan, how its sequence evolved to allow human infection, and under what conditions it infected the first people who crossed its path. And for each of these stages, we don’t know whether there was a human contribution (direct or indirect). Zoonotic transmission pathways, in other words the pas
Read more

Menstrual cups are cheaper, more sustainable than pads and tampons for women

Image
Every year in America, women spend at least US$2.8 billion on sanitary pads and tampons that can take hundreds of years to decompose . Is there a more economical and environmentally friendly way? To find out, we asked Susan Powers , a professor of sustainable environmental systems at Clarkson University about her work comparing the environmental impact of tampons, sanitary pads and menstrual cups. What is a menstrual cup? A menstrual cup is a type of reusable feminine hygiene product. It’s a small, flexible bell-shaped cup made of rubber or silicone that a woman inserts into her vagina to catch and collect menstrual fluid. It can be used for up to 12 hours, after which it is removed to dispose of the fluid and cleaned. The cup is rinsed with hot water and soap between each insertion and sterilized in boiling water at least once per period. A cup can last up to 10 years . Although menstrual cups have been around for decades, they historically have been less popular than pads or ta
Read more

Human bodies respond to infections differently depending on the time of day

Image
When microorganisms – such as bacteria or viruses – infect us, our immune system jumps into action. It’s highly trained to sense and eliminate infections and clear up any damage caused by them. It’s typically assumed our immune systems work the exact same way regardless of whether an infection occurs during the day or at night. But research spanning over half a century now shows our bodies actually respond differently at day and night. The reason for this is our body clock, and the fact that each cell in the body, including our immune cells, can tell what time of day it is. Our body clock has evolved over millions of years to help us survive. Every cell in the body has a collection of proteins that indicate the time depending on their levels. Knowing whether it’s day or night means our body can adjust its functions and behaviours (such as when we want to eat) to the correct time. Our body clock does this by generating 24 hour rhythms (also termed circadian rhythms ) in how cells f
Read more