The universe never ceases to amaze scientists. Using the Webb telescope, they managed to find quartz crystals on the exoplanet WASP-17 b, which belongs to the category of hot Jupiters. The discovery is fascinating because these crystals were born high up in the gaseous atmosphere. Conditions on Earth do not allow for such a thing, research is so important to understanding what is happening on distant planets outside the Solar System.
The quartz crystals in the atmosphere of WASP-17 b, a hot Jupiter-type exoplanet 1,300 light-years from Earth, are a truly exceptional discovery. It is the first time that something like this has been observed by scientists.
“We were excited. We knew from Hubble observations that there must be aerosols (tiny particles that make up clouds or fog) in WASP-17 b’s atmosphere, but we didn’t expect them to be made of quartz,” she quoted University of Bristol of his professor and astrophysicist David Grant, who is the lead author study published this week in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Grant collaborated on the research with an international team of experts, with whom he made observations through the Webb telescope. Experts from, among others, took part in it NASAwhich co-owns the Webb Telescope.
The discovery of silicon dioxide is not so interesting in itself, it is an element that is all around us. On Earth, quartz crystals can reach clouds from rocky surfaces. But in the case of WASP-17 b, the scientists found that the crystals were born high in the atmosphere – that is, directly from the gas, which is very unusual.
In addition, they discovered silicon dioxide there in its pure form. “We expected to see magnesium silicate. But instead we observed what are likely their basic particles, which we are able to detect in cooler exoplanets and brown dwarfs,” explained study co-author Hannah Wakeford.
Extremely hot and very light
How is it possible that quartz nanocrystals were born in the atmosphere of WASP-17 b? It is one of the largest and most massive exoplanets known, having a volume more than seven times that of Jupiter, but a mass more than half that. In addition, it is extremely hot, with a temperature of approximately 1,500 degrees Celsius.
”And the pressure at which quartz crystals form high in the atmosphere is only about one-thousandth of the pressure we experience on Earth’s surface,” Grant added. “Under these conditions, solid crystals can form directly from the gas without first passing through the liquid phase,” he concluded.
The significant discovery thus brings new information important for understanding the functioning of the planets in deep space, especially their atmospheres and the weather that prevails on them.
WASP-17 b is one of three planets being studied by astrophysicists as part of the DREAMS project. It aims to collect comprehensive information on representatives of three key categories of exoplanets (i.e. planets located outside the Solar System), which are hot Jupiter, warm Neptune and rocky Earth-type planets.
NASA showed samples from the asteroid Bennu. They look like black coal (10/2023):
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2023-10-17 15:51:00
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