Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery on exoplanet Tylos, one of the closest gas giants to its host star. The planet’s atmosphere is filled with clouds of vaporized metal, and scientists were able to detect silicon monoxide, water, carbon monoxide, and methane using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
The research suggests that Tylos formed from dust and rocks that circled the star in its early years. The presence of these elements provides insights into how the planet formed and acquired its material. The findings also offer a better understanding of how hot Jupiters like Tylos are thought to form and evolve.
Tylos orbits a yellow-white star, Dilmun, at an incredible 30-hour pace, making it one of the fastest-orbiting gas giants in the Milky Way. This proximity to its host star causes its atmosphere to be constantly heated, with clouds of vaporized metal forming above the surface.
The detection of silicon monoxide on Tylos is significant, as this molecule is extremely rare and difficult to detect. The combination of molecules in the planet’s atmosphere helped scientists determine that Tylos formed at a distance from its star where methane was present, but water ice remained frozen.
However, further study has revealed a mystery surrounding methane’s presence on Tylos’ nightside. Methane is unstable at high temperatures and should be undetectable on the scorching dayside. Its abundance in the nightside atmosphere suggests strong vertical mixing, which challenges current exoplanet dynamical models.
This discovery provides valuable insights into the formation and evolution of hot Jupiters like Tylos. Despite being studied extensively, the planet still holds many secrets about planetary formation in the Milky Way. The research has been published in Nature Astronomy.
Source: https://www.sciencealert.com/tiny-pebbles-created-one-of-the-most-extreme-worlds-in-the-galaxy