WASP-76b is located 634 light-years from Earth. Researchers have discovered “iron winds and metallic rain” on this exoplanet. The planet has an extremely high temperature of about 2,400 degrees Celsius due to its proximity to its star. These conditions allow iron to vaporize and create a rain of molten metal that literally hits the planet’s surface.
As Live Science notes, iron is transferred from the “day” side of the planet to the “night” side, where it condenses and falls as drops of molten metal.
The study is the first to make such detailed optical observations of the dayside of WASP-76b, providing important insights into the structure of the exoplanet’s atmosphere.
Source: Ferra
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