SPACE — Imagine a world where clouds of metal, molten rubies and sapphires are slowly descending from the sky. Such a world was discovered in a recent astronomy study. In research published in the journal Nature Astronomy, Monday, February 21, 2022, the cloud envelops an exoplanet, Jupiter WASP-121 b.
In 2015, scientists discovered WASP-121 b, a gas giant planet outside the solar system, about 880 light-years from Earth. Nicknamed Hot Jupiter because of a type of gas giant that has physical similarities to our Jupiter. It orbits its star closer and therefore hotter.
Since its discovery, researchers have continued to explore the planet further, especially its strange atmosphere. And in this latest study, scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope have measured in detail the atmosphere on the planet’s night side. In the rather chilly night, a number of strange and extraordinary things appeared, including metallic clouds and rain made of molten gems.
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“It’s exciting to study planets like WASP-121 b that are so different to those in our solar system, because they allow us to see how the atmosphere behaves under extreme conditions,” said study co-author Joanna Barstow in a statement.
This hot Jupiter is locked in a tidal state. That is, it has one side that is always facing the star. During the day, metals and minerals on the side of WASP-121 b that face the star, evaporate. The upper atmosphere this side of the day can be as hot as 5,400 degrees Fahrenheit (3,000 degrees Celsius). It is so hot that the water in the atmosphere glows, and the molecules break down.
But on the planet’s night side, the research team found atmospheric temperatures were halved. This temperature difference causes strong winds to blow from west to east around the planet, pulling water through the atmosphere from the day side to the night side.
Water molecules separate into hydrogen and oxygen atoms on the hot side during the day, then change back again after being on the night side. Cold temperatures recombine the atoms into water vapour. In turn, the water is pulled back to the day side by the wind and so on, in a continuous cycle.
During the cycle, temperatures on the night side never reach low enough to form water clouds. However, that doesn’t mean clouds don’t form at all. It wasn’t a water cloud, but what was formed was a strange metal cloud.
Previous Hubble data showed signs of metals including iron, magnesium, chromium and vanadium, appearing as gases in the planet’s daylight. But in a recent study, scientists have found that on the planet’s night side, the temperature is cold enough for the metals to condense into clouds.
Metal clouds weren’t the only strange phenomenon found on hot Jupiter. They also found evidence of possible rain in the form of molten gems.
Scientists were surprised, among the metals they detected in the atmosphere of the planet, they did not find aluminum or titanium. They think that the surprising finding could be explained by metal condensation and rain falling to lower levels outside the observed region.
This metal vapor condenses into metal precipitation, and its aluminum condenses together with oxygen which then forms corundum. The latter is a metallic compound that when contaminated by other metals in the atmosphere will form what we know on Earth as rubies or sapphires.
In addition to explaining Jupiter’s hot night side, the team also studied the planet’s day side. “To investigate the entire surface of WASP-121 b, we took the spectrum with Hubble for two complete revolutions of the planet,” said co-author David Sing, a researcher at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.
By combining information about the night and day sides of WASP-121 b, the research team reveals new insights into how the planet’s atmosphere works as a whole. The team was able to observe the complete cycle of water on the planet. As such, this research is the first to study the full water cycle on a planet outside the solar system.
However, much remains to be learned. The team plans to further explore exoplanets with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. The next-generation telescope has just arrived at its observation site in space and will start working next June. Webb is said to be able to reach the untouched before.
“To better understand the planet, we will observe it with the James Webb Space Telescope in its first year of operation,” said lead author Thomas Mikal-Evans, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy.
Source: Space.com
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