And with temperatures in the thousands of degrees Celsius, new observations of the exoplanet known as WASP-121b have provided insight into its atmosphere and weather. Astronomers say it could have metallic clouds and rain made of iron, corundum and titanium.DiscussWASP-121b orbits a star 850 light-years from Earth and twice the size of our Jupiter. WASP-121b rotates in just 30 hours – just over an Earth day. It also has a bizarre elongated shape, which is explained by the intense gravitational forces of its host star that the planet is subjected to. this week in Nature Astronomy.
“Hot Jupiters are known for having a very bright day side, but the night side is a very different beast,” Tansu Deilan, an MIT astrophysicist and co-author of the paper, said in a press release from the institute. “The night side of WASP-121b is about 10 times dimmer than the day side.”
The vastly different temperatures on both sides of the planet create a dynamic environment for various molecules floating in the atmosphere. During the day, water is torn apart by heat of almost 2760°C and carried to the night side of the planet by winds of 17702 km/h.
Moreover, the night side of the planet is so cold, which can contribute to the formation of clouds of metal. Hot temperatures on the warm side of the planet can vaporize iron, corundum and titanium, which can cause heavy metal rains on the cold side as gaseous clouds churn. Previously, another hot Jupiter – WASP 76b – showed signs of a similar phenomenon.
In millions of years, the tidal forces that WASP-121b is subjected to will tear the planet apart, the scientists concluded.
Source: Gizmodo