The strange earth exactly where it rains iron – Boing Boing

On the world Wasp-76b, it rains iron. Researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and colleagues noticed the planet, 650 light years from Earth, using the European Southern Observatory’s Pretty Substantial Telescope in northern Chile. On the planet’s “incredibly hot side” that faces it star, temperatures can be earlier mentioned 2,400°C. It is a very good detail the residents of Wasp-76b carry tungsten umbrellas. From ESO:

“One could say that this planet receives rainy in the night, other than it rains iron,” suggests David Ehrenreich, a professor at the College of Geneva in Switzerland. He led a analyze, printed now in the journal Nature, of this exotic exoplanet. Recognized as WASP-76b, it is positioned some 640 mild-years absent in the constellation of Pisces.

This odd phenomenon comes about mainly because the ‘iron rain’ planet only ever demonstrates 1 deal with, its day side, to its parent star, its cooler night time aspect remaining in perpetual darkness. Like the Moon on its orbit close to the Earth, WASP-76b is ‘tidally locked’: it takes as very long to rotate all around its axis as it does to go all around the star.

On its working day side, it gets thousands of occasions additional radiation from its dad or mum star than the Earth does from the Sun. It is so incredibly hot that molecules separate into atoms, and metals like iron evaporate into the ambiance. The excessive temperature change between the day and night sides success in vigorous winds that provide the iron vapour from the ultra-hot working day aspect to the cooler evening facet, where by temperatures reduce to about 1500 degrees Celsius.

A lot more: “Nightside condensation of iron in an ultrahot large exoplanet” (Mother nature)

illustration: ESO push launch