SPACE — A new study reveals an exoplanet that has strange sandy clouds high in its atmosphere. Not only sand, scientists also found water vapor and sulfur dioxide which are usually produced by combustion.
The cosmic shock was observed by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. The Webb data was studied by a team of European astronomers and succeeded in detailing the composition of the atmosphere of the exoplanet called WASP-107b.
Researchers found water vapor, sulfur dioxide and even clouds of silicate sand in its atmosphere. The research paper was published in the journal Nature on Wednesday, November 15, 2023.
The new research has an impact on scientists’ understanding of chemistry on distant planets. “The discovery of clouds of sand, water and sulfur dioxide on this fluffy exoplanet is an important milestone. “This discovery changes our understanding of planet formation and evolution, and provides new clues about our solar system,” said the study’s lead author, Leen Decin of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium.
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WASP-107b is one of the lowest-density planets known to astronomers, sometimes compared to a comet. This planet is the same size as Jupiter, but its mass is only 12 percent that of Jupiter.
WASP-107b is located about 200 light years from Earth. It only takes six days to orbit its star, which is slightly cooler and less massive than our sun. The planet’s low density allows astronomers to see its atmosphere 50 times deeper than that of a dense planet like Jupiter.
The initial discovery of sulfur dioxide, the smell emitted when you light a match, surprised astronomers. This is because WASP-107b’s host star only emits a small number of high-energy light photons. However, the planet’s low density allows photons to penetrate deep into WASP-107b’s atmosphere. It is thought to cause a chemical reaction that produces sulfur dioxide.
Then, clouds at high altitudes consisting of fine silicate particles are very fine-grained sand. Researchers suspect sand clouds form in a similar way to clouds on Earth. However, on Earth it is formed from water vapor, while on WASP-107b it is formed from sand droplets.
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When sand raindrops condense and fall, they encounter extremely hot layers inside the planet. This causes it to become silicate vapor, which then condenses again to form clouds.
“The Webb Telescope is revolutionizing exoplanet characterization, providing unprecedented insight at incredible speed,” said Decin.
2023-11-16 05:55:00
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