Researchers studying planets' atmospheres reveal new information about Saturn-like exoplanet

A team of international researchers discovered that the fiery exoplanet known as WASP-76B, approximately 640 light years from Earth, is even hotter than previously known.

A graphic depicting iron rain falling on exoplanet WASP-76b. Photo: ESO/M. Kornmesser

The scientists captured high-resolution spectra of ionized calcium on the exoplanet, which indicates extreme atmospheric temperatures or winds. WASP-76b, discovered in 2016 and known as a "hot Jupiter" for its extremely high temperature, orbits its F-type star (which is hotter than Earth's sun) in 1.8 Earth days.

"As we do remote sensing of dozens of exoplanets, spanning a range of masses and temperatures, we will develop a more complete picture of the true diversity of alien worlds -- from those hot enough to harbor iron rain to others with more moderate climates, from those heftier than Jupiter to others not much bigger than Earth," said co-author Ray Jayawardhana, an astronomer at Cornell University.

"It's remarkable that with today's telescopes and instruments, we can learn so much about the atmospheres -- the constituents, physical properties, presence of clouds and even large-scale wind patterns -- of planets that are orbiting stars hundreds of light-years away.”

The researchers used Gemini North, a telescope that’s part of the international Gemini Observatory, a program of NSF's NOIRLab, in their discovery. (National Science Foundation)

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