There are rains of iron and rubies: the hot planet surprised the astronomers that they found out

04 February 2025, 21:25 | Technologies
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Astronomers used the Jamini Gemini terrestrial telescope to study a hot large gas giant called WASP-121B, where the climate is so extreme that there are rains of iron, rubies and sapphires. The results show that this planet could form closer to its star, which was previously considered that it challenges the theories about the formation of planets. The study is published in The Astronomical Journal, Space writes.

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Outside the solar system, astronomers have already discovered more than 5,000 planets. Many of these worlds belong to the class of hot Jupiters. These are planets that are more than Jupiter and are very close to their stars.

It is assumed that hot Jupiters are formed further from their stars, at about the same distance where Jupiter and Saturn are located in the solar system, and then move closer. A new study of the planet WASP-121B, which is a hot Jupiter, questioned existing theories.

The WASP-121B planet is at a distance of about 858 light years from us, it is 1.2 times larger in weight and 1.9 times more in size than Jupiter. WASP-121B is so close to its star that the year there lasts only 1.3 earthly days. Also, the planet is always addressed to its star only one side.

On the side of the planet, which is facing the star, the temperature is approximately 2500 degrees Celsius. This leads to the fact that metals evaporate and rise into the atmosphere. After that, winds that blow at a speed of 17,700 km/h move metals to the other side of the planet, where they cool and fall out in the form of rains of iron, rubies and sapphires.

Theories suggest that the WASP-121B planet was supposed to form further in the protoplanetary disk that once surrounded its star, and then move closer, but new data does not confirm this.

Astronomers can look for signs of chemical elements on planets and? their atmospheres and determine the ratio of rocky substance to the ice gas -like substance that were present at the birth of the planet. This should tell them how far a planet has formed from the star.

Astronomers were able to determine the ratio of rocky and ice substance on the planet WASP-121B, which was especially high. This suggests that at the beginning of its formation the planet could accumulate a large amount of rocky substance. This could mean that the planet could arise in that part of the protoplanetary disk that was too hot for the condensation of ice.

This was a surprise for scientists, since it is believed that gas giants are needed to form solid ice.

The authors of the study say that, perhaps, you need to revise the models of the formation of planets.

As Focus already wrote, above and under the Milky way, huge bubbles are found the size of half the galaxy. A new study shows how two pairs of bubbles were created, consisting of hot gas.

Focus also wrote that scientists found out how the oldest famous planet could form, which should not have appeared 13 billion years ago.

Based on materials: space.com



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