This Alien Planet Has Rock Clouds That Vaporize Before Sunset

[Celerity]

JWST has revealed a surprising daily cloud cycle on a distant hot Jupiter, giving scientists a clearer look at its atmosphere.

https://scitechdaily.com/this-alien-planet-has-rock-clouds-that-vaporize-before-sunset/


Artistic representation of WASP-94A b, a gas giant in the Microscopium constellation. Clouds build as air flows over the dark side of the planet, reaching a large swell by daybreak. The clouds dissipate on the dayside, leaving clear skies in the early evening. Credit: Hannah Robbins/Johns Hopkins University

On WASP-94A b, the forecast changes fast. Clouds made from rock-forming minerals gather in the planet’s morning skies, then vanish by evening as the atmosphere sweeps into hotter territory.

This world is a hot Jupiter, a giant planet that orbits extremely close to its star. Located nearly 700 light-years from Earth in the constellation Microscopium, WASP-94A b is far too distant to image in everyday detail. Instead, scientists used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to read subtle changes in starlight as the planet crossed in front of its star.

The result is one of the clearest detections yet of a daily cloud cycle on this type of exoplanet. By separating cloudy regions from clearer parts of the atmosphere, the team was able to refine its view of the planet’s chemistry and overturn an earlier puzzle about its composition.

“I’ve been looking at exoplanets for 20 years, and general cloudiness has been a thorn in our side. We’ve known for quite a while that clouds are pervasive on Hot Jupiter planets, which is annoying because it’s like trying to look at the planet through a foggy window,” said co-author and program PI, David Sing, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Johns Hopkins. “Not only have we been able to clear the view, but we can finally pin down what the clouds are made out of and how they’re condensing and evaporating as they move around the planet.” The findings were published in the journal Science.

JWST Reveals a Planet’s Daily Weather Cycle......................

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[SonOfNebanaube]

1. Who really cares?

So sunrise is so f****** hot it actually vaporizes Rock clouds. Hard Pass...

[Bayard]

2. Science is a good thing....

Thanks for posting!