Shedding light on the planet's violent water cycle. 🧐 engineering
The planet, called WASP-121b's, is tidally locked to its host star, meaning the differences between the light side and the dark side of the planet are incredibly pronounced., the researchers outline their method for mapping WASP-121b using altitude-based temperatures and water presence level data collected by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2018 and 2019.
The daytime side vaporizes water with temperatures of 4,940F, while the nighttime side's temperature of approximately 2,780F is just low enough to allow hydrogen and oxygen atoms to recombine into water molecules. These then make their way back to the dayside, where the cycle is kicked off once again. According to the researchers, this intense water cycle flings water atoms around the planet at speeds of over 11,000 mph.
"We're now moving beyond taking isolated snapshots of specific regions of exoplanet atmospheres, to study them as the 3D systems they truly are," said Thomas Mikal-Evans, who led the study as a postdoc in MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research.The astronomers say that their work represents the first detailed study of an exoplanet's global atmosphere.
, the large space objects that have made scientists reconsider theories of planetary formation. What's more, it may also help to improve our knowledge pertaining to other, more habitable, exoplanets, helping to improve our investigation into the existence of extraterrestrial life.Stay ahead with the latest science, technology and innovation news, for free:
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