Observations by the European Space Agency’s Cheops space telescope have revealed the existence of an ultrahot exoplanet, located 264 light-years from Earth. Named LTT9779 b, it surprised researchers because it is enveloped in reflective metallic clouds that work like a mirror. According to astronomers, it is the brightest planet ever discovered outside our Solar System.
High reflection capacity
In an article published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, the researchers describe that LTT9779 b, discovered in 2020, has a cloud cover composed mainly of silicates, the same compound present in sand and glass. These clouds also contain metalswhich makes the planet have a high light reflection capacity.
According to the researchers, LTT9779 b reflects approximately 80% of the light it receives from its host stara, in an orbit that takes just 19 hours, a record time. Experts claim that, by comparison, in our own solar system, Venus is considered the brightest planet, reflecting about 75% of sunlight due to its dense layer of clouds. On the other hand, Earth only reflects about 30% of the sunlight it receives.
LTT9779 b’s high degree of reflection surprised researchers, as the side of the planet facing its star has an estimated temperature of around 2,000°C. Usually this excessive heat would make the planet too hot for metal or glass clouds to form. “We were really intrigued, until we realized that we should think of this cloud formation in the same way as the condensation that forms in a bathroom after a hot shower,” said Vivien Parmentier, a researcher at the Côte d’Azur Observatory in France, and co-author of the study.
“To steam a bathroom, you can cool the air until the water vapor condenses, or you can keep the hot water running until clouds form, because the air is so saturated with steam that it just can’t hold anymore,” he explained. the researcher.” In the same way, LTT9779 b can form metallic clouds despite being so hot because the atmosphere is supersaturated with silicate and metal vapors”, he concluded.
2023-07-14 22:54:05
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