However, observations from the European Space Agency’s Exoplanet Characterization Satellite (CHEOPS) suggest that between the boundary of the star’s day and night there may be ‘colorful rings of light’.
Co-researcher Dr. Thomas Wilson said: “We have never seen these colorful concentric rings on an extrasolar object before, so if confirmed by future studies, this could make WASP-76b a truly unique object. And it allows us to understand the atmospheres of distant exoplanets and their habitability.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Olivier Demangian from the Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences in Portugal He added that “There’s a reason no one has ever seen this glow before. Because there must be very strange conditions outside our solar system. First, you need particles in a nearby atmosphere – perfectly spherical, uniform, and stable enough to be observed for long periods of time. Then, nearby stars The conjunction of the planet must shine directly on it. with the observer being in the correct direction”
The discovery about WASP-76b comes after scientists recorded 23 observations over three years as it passed in front of and around a Sun-like star. The data collected shows a surprising increase in the amount of light coming from the star’s eastern end, where night meets day.
This allowed astronomers to determine the source of the signal, Dr. Demanjian explained.
“This is the first time such a drastic change in the brightness of an exoplanet has been detected. These findings led us to hypothesize that this unexpected glow may be due to strong localized fluorescence reflection.”
He said the next step is to useJames Webb Space Telescope (JWST) of NASA to officially confirm this is an effect. ‘Colorful circles of light’ “The confirmation implies that the temperature of WASP-76b’s atmosphere must remain constant over time. This creates clouds composed of perfectly spherical water droplets that are essential to the formation of colorful circles.”
Origin
- Mirror
- PHOTO : Warwick University/SWNS
