NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has made a groundbreaking discovery on the “hellish” exoplanet WASP-121b. The telescope detected silicon monoxide gas in the scorching clouds of the alien world, which is the first conclusive identification of this molecule in any planetary atmosphere.
WASP-121b, a gas giant located about 880 light-years from Earth, has extreme temperatures on its day side, reaching up to 5,500 degrees Fahrenheit (3,000 degrees Celsius). The planet is tidally locked, with one side constantly facing the star while the other side is always in darkness. Researchers used the James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Spectrograph instrument to study the planet’s atmosphere and discovered silicon monoxide gas on both its day and night sides.
The discovery of silicon monoxide gas was unexpected, as it has never been found in any planetary atmosphere before. The molecule is rare and can be synthetically produced on Earth, but its gaseous form is unstable and does not exist in most planetary atmospheres.
According to researchers, the presence of silicon monoxide gas likely originates from silicate-rich materials inside asteroids that have burned up in WASP-121b’s atmosphere. The high temperatures on the day side allowed the compound to remain in a gaseous state.
This discovery provides valuable insights into how “hell planets” and other gas giants form, and will help scientists understand their atmospheres under extreme temperature conditions.
Source: https://www.livescience.com/space/exoplanets/james-webb-telescope-spots-groundbreaking-molecule-in-scorching-clouds-of-giant-hell-planet