Rainbow-like effect seen on exoplanet for first time

It is a meteorological phenomenon that is commonly seen on Earth and was also discovered on Venus ten years ago. This is the first time the so-called “splendor” has been detected on a planet outside our solar system. Similar to a rainbow, although with smaller and lighter colors, this effect occurs when light falls on clouds of perfectly spherical droplets.

Besides the fact that the world in question is an exoplanet, this detail attracted the attention of observers even more. exhibits hellish conditions, with daytime temperatures exceeding 2,400 degrees Celsius. So if these droplets are rain, they are the precipitation of molten iron on the planet.

Olivier Demangeon, an astronomer at the Portuguese Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences and first author of the study, says it is no coincidence that no extrasolar magnificence has been seen before, as this phenomenon requires very special conditions. In addition to particles, “the star near the planet needs to shine directly at it along with the observer – here [a sonda] Cheops is at exactly the right orientation point.”

How was victory observed on exoplanet WASP-76b?

WASP-76b can be said to be the “darling” of planetary scientists. This is because it orbits a yellowish-white star similar to the Sun, as well as “Only” 640 light-years from Earth. But the coincidences end there, because the exoplanet is huge (1.85 times the size of Jupiter) and orbits its star in only 1.8 days.

This means that temperatures of thousands of degrees Celsius on its surface could literally vaporize the iron, causing metallic clouds to form around the planet.

It was one of thousands of observations in which ESA’s Characterizing ExOPlanet Satellite (Cheops) probe captured an extreme brightness described as a magnificence effect on the planet’s eastern terminator.

How important is the first victory on an exoplanet?

Since the spectacular impact of WASP-76b has been analyzed over 23 observations carried out over three years, it is possible to say with some certainty that these spherical droplets are present or constantly replenished in the exoplanet’s clouds. This means stable long-term atmospheric temperatures.

if this The halo effect is truly a great victory, scientists will have a significant signature that will be able to detect the same phenomenon on other distant planets.. This includes the reflection of stars shining in liquid oceans and lakes, such as on Earth, as possible signs of habitability.

Future observations are planned to improve current discoveries, according to the paper recently published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. “Monitoring the NIRSPEC instrument on the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope could do just that,” according to ESA.

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