By combining several years of observations from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope along with conducting computer modelling, astronomers have found evidence for massive cyclones and other dynamic weather activity swirling on a hot, Jupiter-sized planet 880 light-years away.
The planet, called WASP-121 b, is not habitable. But this result is an
important early step in studying weather patterns on distant worlds, and
perhaps eventually finding potentially habitable exoplanets with stable, long-term climates.
This is an artist's concept of the exoplanet WASP-121 b, also known as Tylos. The exoplanet's appearance is based on Hubble simulation data of the object. Using Hubble observations, another team of scientists had previously reported the detection of heavy metals such as magnesium and iron escaping from the upper atmosphere of the ultra-hot Jupiter exoplanet; marking it as the first of such detection. The exoplanet is orbiting dangerously close to its host star, roughly 2.6% of the distance of Earth to the Sun, placing it on the verge of being ripped apart by the star's tidal forces. The powerful gravitational forces have altered the planet's shape. An international team of astronomers assembled and reprocessed Hubble observations of the exoplanet in the years 2016, 2018 and 2019. This provided them with a unique data-set that allowed them to not only analyze the atmosphere of WASP-121 b, but also to compare the state of the exoplanet's atmosphere across several years. They found clear evidence that the observations of WASP-121 b were varying in time. The team then used sophisticated modelling techniques to demonstrate that these temporal variations could be explained by weather patterns in the exoplanet's atmosphere. NASA, ESA, Quentin Changeat (ESA/STScI), Mahdi Zamani (ESA/Hubble)
For the past few decades, detailed telescopic and spacecraft observations of neighboring planets in our solar system show that their turbulent atmospheres are not static but constantly changing, just like weather on Earth. This variability should also apply to planets around other stars, too. But it takes lots of detailed observing and computational modelling to actually measure such changes.
To make the discovery, an international team of astronomers assembled
and reprocessed Hubble observations of WASP-121 b taken in 2016, 2018, and
2019.
They found that the planet has a dynamic atmosphere, changing over time.
The team used sophisticated modelling techniques to demonstrate that these
dramatic temporal variations could be explained by weather patterns in the
exoplanet's atmosphere.
The team found that WASP-121 b's atmosphere shows notable differences
between observations. Most dramatically, there could be massive weather fronts,
storms, and massive cyclones that are repeatedly created and destroyed due to
the large temperature difference between the star-facing side and dark side of
the exoplanet. They also detected an apparent offset between the exoplanet's
hottest region and the point on the planet closest to the star, as well as
variability in the chemical composition of the exoplanet's atmosphere (as
measured via spectroscopy).
The team reached these conclusions by using computational models to help
explain observed changes in the exoplanet's atmosphere. "The remarkable
details of our exoplanet atmosphere simulations allows us to accurately model
the weather on ultra-hot planets like WASP-121 b," explained Jack Skinner,
a postdoctoral fellow at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena,
California, and co-leader of this study. "Here we make a significant step
forward by combining observational constraints with atmosphere simulations to
understand the time-varying weather on these planets."
This visualization shows the temperature forecast spanning
130 exoplanet-days, across sunrise, noon, sunset, and midnight for the
exoplanet WASP-121 b, also known as Tylos. The brighter yellow regions depict
areas in the day side of the exoplanet where temperatures soar well above 2,100
degrees Kelvin (3,320 degrees Fahrenheit); due to the close proximity to its
host star, roughly 2.6% of the distance of Earth to the Sun. Due to the extreme
temperature difference between the day and night sides, astronomers suspect
evaporated iron and other heavy metals escaping into the higher layers of
atmosphere on the day side partially fall back onto lower layers, making it
rain iron at night. Some of the heavy metals also escape the planet's gravity
from the upper atmosphere. It only takes WASP-121 b roughly 31 hours to
complete an orbit around its star. An international team of astronomers
assembled and reprocessed Hubble observations of the exoplanet in the years
2016, 2018, and 2019. This provided them with a unique data-set that allowed
them to not only analyze the atmosphere of WASP-121 b, but also to compare the
state of the exoplanet's atmosphere across several years. They found clear
evidence that the observations of WASP-121 b were varying in time. The team then
used sophisticated modelling techniques to demonstrate that these temporal
variations could be explained by weather patterns in the exoplanet's
atmosphere, as seen here. The international team of astronomers in this study
consists of: Q. Changeat (European Space Agency (ESA), Space Telescope Science
Institute (STScI), University College London); J.W. Skinner (California
Institute of Technology, Brandeis University); J. Y-K. Cho, (Brandeis
University, Center for Computational Astrophysics/Flatiron Institute); J.
Nättilä (Center for Computational Astrophysics/ Flatiron Institute, Columbia
University); I.P. Waldmann (University College London); A.F. Al-Refaie
(University College London); A. Dyrek (Université Paris Cité, Université
Paris-Saclay); B. Edwards (Netherlands Institute for Space Research, University
College London); T. Mikal-Evans (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy); M. Joshua
(Blue Skies Space Ltd.); G. Morello (Chalmers University of Technology,
Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias); N. Skaf (National Astronomical
Observatory of Japan, Université de Paris, University College London); A.
Tsiaras (University College London); O. Venot (Université de Paris Cité,
Université Paris Est Creteil); and K.H. Yip (University College London).
Credit: NASA, ESA, Quentin Changeat (ESA/STScI), Mahdi Zamani (ESA/Hubble)
"This is a
hugely exciting result as we move forward for observing weather patterns on
exoplanets," said one of the principal investigators of the team, Quentin
Changeat, a European Space Agency Research Fellow at the Space Telescope
Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. "Studying exoplanets' weather is
vital to understanding the complexity of exoplanet atmospheres on other worlds,
especially in the search for exoplanets with habitable conditions."
WASP-121 b is so close to its parent star that the orbital period is
only 1.27 days. This close proximity means that the planet is tidally locked so
that the same hemisphere always faces the star, in the same way that our Moon
always has the same side pointed at Earth. Daytime temperatures approach 3,450
degrees Fahrenheit (2,150 degrees Kelvin) on the star-facing side of the
planet.
The team used four sets of Hubble archival observations of WASP-121 b.
The complete data-set included observations of WASP-121 b transiting in front
of its star (taken in June 2016); WASP-121 b passing behind its star, also
known as a secondary eclipse (taken in November 2016); and the brightness of
WASP-121 b as a function of its phase angle to the star (the varying amount of
light received at Earth from an exoplanet as it orbits its parent star, similar
to our Moon's phase-cycle). These data were taken in March 2018 and February
2019, respectively.
"The assembled data-set represents a significant amount of
observing time for a single planet and is currently the only consistent set of
such repeated observations," said Changeat. The information that we
extracted from those observations was used to infer the chemistry, temperature,
and clouds of the atmosphere of WASP-121 b at different times. This provided us
with an exquisite picture of the planet changing over time."
Hubble's capabilities also are evident in the broad expanse of science programs it will enable through its Cycle 31 observations, which began on December 1. About two-thirds of Hubble's time will be devoted to imaging studies, while the remainder is allotted to spectroscopy studies, like those used for WASP-121 b. More details about Cycle 31 science are in a recent announcement.
This visualization shows the weather patterns on the exoplanet WASP-121
b, also known as Tylos. This video has been slowed to observe the patterns in
the exoplanet's atmosphere in closer detail. An international team of
astronomers assembled and reprocessed Hubble observations of the exoplanet in
the years 2016, 2018, and 2019. This provided them with a unique data-set that
allowed them to not only analyze the atmosphere of WASP-121 b, but also to
compare the state of the exoplanet's atmosphere across several years. They
found clear evidence that the observations of WASP-121 b were varying in time.
The team then used sophisticated modelling techniques to demonstrate that these
temporal variations could be explained by weather patterns in the exoplanet's
atmosphere, as seen here. The science team's models found that their results
could be explained by quasi-periodic weather patterns: specifically, massive
cyclones that are repeatedly created and destroyed due to the huge temperature
difference between the star-facing and dark side of the exoplanet. This result
represents a significant step forward in potentially observing weather patterns
on exoplanets. The international team of astronomers in this study consists of:
Q. Changeat (European Space Agency (ESA), Space Telescope Science Institute
(STScI), University College London); J.W. Skinner (California Institute of
Technology, Brandeis University); J. Y-K. Cho, (Brandeis University, Center for
Computational Astrophysics/Flatiron Institute); J. Nättilä (Center for
Computational Astrophysics/ Flatiron Institute, Columbia University); I.P.
Waldmann (University College London); A.F. Al-Refaie (University College
London); A. Dyrek (Université Paris Cité, Université Paris-Saclay); B. Edwards
(Netherlands Institute for Space Research, University College London); T.
Mikal-Evans (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy); M. Joshua (Blue Skies Space
Ltd.); G. Morello (Chalmers University of Technology, Instituto de Astrofísica
de Canarias); N. Skaf (National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Université
de Paris, University College London); A. Tsiaras (University College London);
O. Venot (Université de Paris Cité, Université Paris Est Creteil); and K.H. Yip
(University College London). Credit: NASA, ESA, Quentin Changeat (ESA/STScI),
Mahdi Zamani (ESA/Hubble)
LEARN MORE:
Recognizing Worlds Beyond Our Sun
Finding Planetary Construction Zones
The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, conducts Hubble and Webb science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, in Washington, D.C.
Source: NASA's Hubble Observes Exoplanet Atmosphere Changing Over 3 Years - NASA Science
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