First 3D View Of An Exoplanet’s Atmosphere Reveals Chaotic Alien Weather – The Daily Galaxy –Great Discoveries Channel
Astronomers have captured the first-ever 3D view of an exoplanet’s atmosphere, revealing chaotic jet streams, scorching metal winds, and an alien climate unlike anything seen before. What secrets does this distant world hold?Astronomers have mapped the weather of a distant exoplanet for the first time, uncovering a world of extreme winds, searing heat, and unexpected atmospheric layers. The study, conducted using the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile, offers an unprecedented 3D view of an exoplanet’s atmosphere, revealing a complex and violent climate that challenges our understanding of planetary weather.The exoplanet in question, WASP-121b, also known as Tylos, is classified as an “ultra-hot Jupiter”—a gas giant orbiting perilously close to its host star. Located 900 light-years away in the constellation Puppis, WASP-121b completes an orbit in just 30 hours, meaning one side of the planet is always locked in blistering daylight, while the other remains in perpetual darkness.This tidally locked nature creates extreme temperature contrasts between the two hemispheres. The day side reaches over 2,500°C (4,500°F)—hot enough to vaporize metals—while the night side is considerably cooler but still inhospitable. The temperature difference generates fierce jet streams, which whip through the atmosphere at breakneck speeds.“This planet’s atmosphere behaves in ways that challenge our understanding of how weather works—not just on Earth, but on all planets. It feels like something out of science fiction,” said Julia Victoria Seidel, lead researcher at the European Southern Observatory (ESO).Using high-resolution spectroscopy, astronomers analyzed how starlight filters through different layers of the exoplanet’s atmosphere. This technique allowed them to reconstruct a three-dimensional picture of WASP-121b’s weather patterns, revealing a complex and highly structured climate.The study published in 2025 in the journal Nature showed that the planet’s atmosphere is split into distinct layers, each playing a unique role. The lower atmosphere is dominated by iron-rich winds, swirling at breakneck speeds. Above this, the mid-layer features a fast-moving sodium jet stream that circulates around the planet’s equator.“What we found was surprising: a jet stream rotates material around the planet’s equator, while a separate flow at lower levels of the atmosphere moves gas from the hot side to the cooler side. This kind of climate has never been seen before on any planet,” Seidel explained.One of the biggest surprises was the detection of titanium, hidden beneath the high-altitude jet stream. Previous attempts to locate this metal in WASP-121b’s atmosphere had failed, making its discovery a major step in understanding how metals form and move on extreme exoplanets.By tracking iron, sodium, and hydrogen, scientists reconstructed the flow of these elements, watching as they circulated between the superheated day side and the relatively cooler night side.This revealed that metals and gases are transported by high-speed jet streams, further influencing the violent and unpredictable climate.The winds on WASP-121b are so powerful that they make even the strongest storms in our Solar System look tame in comparison.To achieve this groundbreaking observation, researchers used the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI), combining light from four telescope units to obtain a highly detailed view of WASP-121b’s atmosphere in a single transit.“It’s the kind of observation that is very challenging to do with space telescopes, highlighting the importance of ground-based observations of exoplanets,” said Leonardo A. dos Santos, an assistant astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute.While WASP-121b is a hostile gas giant, this research lays the foundation for studying smaller, rocky exoplanets that could potentially support life. Scientists plan to apply these same techniques to Earth-sized planets with thinner atmospheres and more moderate climates.With the upcoming Extremely Large Telescope (ELT)—currently under construction in Chile’s Atacama Desert—astronomers will gain even greater capabilities to analyze the atmospheres of distant worlds.“This experience makes me feel like we’re on the verge of uncovering incredible things we can only dream about now.” said Bibiana Prinoth, a PhD student at Lund University and co-author of a companion study in Astronomy & Astrophysics.Comment Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
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