Space
Cloudy Nights, Blistering Days On Distant Hot Jupiters
Khushboo.K
First Posted: Oct 21, 2016 05:01 AM EDT
According to a study published in Astrophysical Journal, the weather forecast a "hot Jupiter" goes like cloudy nights and blistering days reaching a high of 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit (i.e. 1,300 degrees Celsius). The research used Kepler space telescope from NASA along with computer modeling techniques to study the atmosphere of these strange and mysterious worlds.
These planet systems are too far away from the reach of humans to see clouds in their atmosphere. However, this recent study provides some evidence to where such clouds could exist and what they might be actually made up of.
Hot Jupiters are among the first exoplanets (planets outside our Solar System) that have been discovered so far in the galaxy. They orbit their stars so tightly that they are tidally locked and perpetually charbroiled. They have one of their faces fixed towards the star while the other side remains in constant darkness, covered in clouds, according to IFL Science. All this might discourage galactic vacationers but the study showcases a significant advancement in learning about the alien atmospheres.
Since the exoplanets are tidally locked, the day side would be clear and free of clouds while the dark side would be heavily clouded. The zones in between are partially clouded. "The cloud formation is very different from what we know in the solar system," stated Vivien Parmentier, a NASA Sagan Fellow and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Arizona, Tucson. He was the lead author of the research.
The researchers combined data from the Kepler space telescope and computer models. This compiled data enabled them to infer global cloud patterns on these Hot Jupiters. Then, the team could draw conclusions about the temperature differences and winds on the exoplanets.
The study indicated that Hot Jupiters are way too hot in comparison to Earth to have water-vapor clouds. Instead, the clouds present on these exoplanets are likely to be made up of exotic vapors condensed to form minerals and chemical compounds such as aluminium oxide, or even metals, like iron.
According to the study, Manganese sulfide clouds probably dominant on "cooler" hot Jupiters, while silicate clouds are prevalent at higher temperatures. On these planets, the silicates likely rain into the planet's interior, vanishing from the observable atmosphere.
See Now:
NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone
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First Posted: Oct 21, 2016 05:01 AM EDT
According to a study published in Astrophysical Journal, the weather forecast a "hot Jupiter" goes like cloudy nights and blistering days reaching a high of 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit (i.e. 1,300 degrees Celsius). The research used Kepler space telescope from NASA along with computer modeling techniques to study the atmosphere of these strange and mysterious worlds.
These planet systems are too far away from the reach of humans to see clouds in their atmosphere. However, this recent study provides some evidence to where such clouds could exist and what they might be actually made up of.
Hot Jupiters are among the first exoplanets (planets outside our Solar System) that have been discovered so far in the galaxy. They orbit their stars so tightly that they are tidally locked and perpetually charbroiled. They have one of their faces fixed towards the star while the other side remains in constant darkness, covered in clouds, according to IFL Science. All this might discourage galactic vacationers but the study showcases a significant advancement in learning about the alien atmospheres.
Since the exoplanets are tidally locked, the day side would be clear and free of clouds while the dark side would be heavily clouded. The zones in between are partially clouded. "The cloud formation is very different from what we know in the solar system," stated Vivien Parmentier, a NASA Sagan Fellow and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Arizona, Tucson. He was the lead author of the research.
The researchers combined data from the Kepler space telescope and computer models. This compiled data enabled them to infer global cloud patterns on these Hot Jupiters. Then, the team could draw conclusions about the temperature differences and winds on the exoplanets.
The study indicated that Hot Jupiters are way too hot in comparison to Earth to have water-vapor clouds. Instead, the clouds present on these exoplanets are likely to be made up of exotic vapors condensed to form minerals and chemical compounds such as aluminium oxide, or even metals, like iron.
According to the study, Manganese sulfide clouds probably dominant on "cooler" hot Jupiters, while silicate clouds are prevalent at higher temperatures. On these planets, the silicates likely rain into the planet's interior, vanishing from the observable atmosphere.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone