Imagine if there was a world that had clouds made of metal and rained down with molten gemstones from the sky. The world is a real phenomenon that occurs on the exoplanet WASP-121b.
The planet, which was first discovered in 2015, is a giant gas planet that is twice the size of Jupiter. The planet is 880 light -years from Earth and since its discovery astronomers have continued to study this unique planet.
The planet orbits the star WASP 121 every 30 hours at a very close distance. The gas planet is also 'tidally locked', meaning that one side is always facing the star and the other side continues to face outer space.
Therefore, the temperature on the bright side facing the star can reach 2,537 degrees Celsius. Due to its heat, heavy metals such as iron and magnesium are present in the form of gas.
"This is one of the most extreme systems we have," said University of New South Wales astrophysicist Ben Montet, who was not involved in the study, as quoted by Cnet on Thursday (24/2/2022).
In a recent study published in the journal Nature Astronomy, astronomers used the Hubble space telescope to examine the atmosphere on the dark side of WASP-121b. Hubble observes the planet as it orbits its star in 2018 and 2019.
The team of astronomers then looked at water vapor on the dark side of WASP-121b to determine the temperature on this side. Apparently, the temperature on the dark side is a little colder than the light side, which is 1,204 degrees Celsius.
They also managed to measure wind speeds on this exoplanet that reached 17,700 km/h. This wind that carries the clouds from the dark side to the light side and when in extreme conditions these clouds immediately condense and release rain.
With this information, the team of astronomers then modeled the types of chemicals and molecules that might exist in the atmosphere of the planet WASP-121b. They found the dark side of the exoplanet had clouds made up of iron and titanium, as well as corundum, a mineral found in rubies and sapphires on Earth.
"All these exotic compounds come down from the planet's atmosphere," Montet said.
Following the findings from the Hubble telescope, the research team has prepared further observations to observe the exoplanet WASP-121b using the newly launched James Webb space telescope.
NASA's telescope is still in the preparation stage for its operation next summer. This telescope will observe the planet WASP-121b in infrared and analyze its atmosphere.