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An exoplanet hosts unusual, sandy clouds excessive in its ambiance, a brand new research reveals.
Whereas the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST or Webb) could spend loads of its time observing the farthest reaches of the early universe when galaxies have been solely simply beginning to kind, it additionally spends loads of its time centered on objects lots nearer to house — such because the atmospheres of exoplanets in our galactic neighborhood.
A staff of European astronomers used observations from the JWST to element the atmospheric composition of a close-by “fluffy” exoplanet, known as WASP-107b. Researchers discovered water vapor, sulfur dioxide and even silicate sand clouds residing inside the exoplanet’s dynamic ambiance. The brand new research might also have implications for our understanding of the chemistry of distant planets.
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The exoplanet WASP-107b is likely one of the lowest density planets recognized to astronomers, typically being likened to a comet. . The planet is roughly the identical measurement as Jupiter, however with solely 12% of its mass. WASP-107b sits roughly 200 gentle years from Earth, and takes solely six days to orbit its house star, which is barely cooler and fewer huge than our solar.
The planet’s low density, or fluffiness, allowed astronomers to look 50 occasions deeper into the ambiance of the planet in comparison with observations achieved for extra dense planets, like Jupiter.
The preliminary discovery of sulfur dioxide (the scent launched once you gentle a match) shocked astronomers. It is because WASP-107b’s host star emits a comparatively small fraction of high-energy gentle photons, as a result of planet being smaller and cooler. The planet’s low density, nonetheless, means these photons can penetrate deep into WASP-107b’s ambiance, inflicting the chemical reactions that create sulfur dioxide.
Except for the sulfur dioxide, astronomers additionally famous the presence of high-altitude clouds composed of positive silicate particles — principally, actually fine-grained sand.
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Researchers suppose the sand clouds kind in the same approach to water vapor and clouds on Earth, simply with droplets of sand. When the sand rain droplets condense and fall, they encounter extremely popular layers inside the planet, the place they change into silicate vapor and are moved again up the place they recondense to kind clouds as soon as once more.
“JWST is revolutionizing exoplanet characterisation, offering unprecedented insights at exceptional pace,” mentioned lead creator Leen Decin of Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, in a press release.
“The invention of clouds of sand, water, and sulfur dioxide on this fluffy exoplanet … is a pivotal milestone. It reshapes our understanding of planetary formation and evolution, shedding new gentle on our personal photo voltaic system,” he added.
Observations have been taken utilizing JWST’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), a spectrograph which might probe planetary atmospheres in mid-infrared or heat-seeking wavelengths. The paper was published in the journal Nature on Wednesday (Nov. 15).
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