(NLDO) - Scientists have just discovered something extremely deadly in the world once known by the sweet name "cotton candy planet".
According to Science Alert, a research team led by astrophysicist Lisa Nortmann from the University of Göttingen (Germany) has just discovered winds more violent than any world ever known to mankind on the planet named WASP-127b.
Winds on this faraway world reach speeds of up to 33,000 km/h. For comparison, the highest wind speed ever recorded on Earth was 407 km/h, measured at Australia's Barrow Island in 1996.
A level 17 storm on the extended Beaufort wind scale used by Vietnam has wind speeds of 202-220 km/h.
Hot and furious planet WASP-127b - Graphic image: ESO
Writing in the scientific journal Astronomy & Astrophysics , the researchers said they analyzed the spectrum of light reflected from the planet WASP-127b, discovering two contrasting peaks in the water and carbon dioxide signals.
"Part of the planet's atmosphere is moving towards us at high speed while another part is moving away from us at the same speed," Dr Nortmann explained.
This signal shows a supersonic jet stream moving around the planet's equator.
“Fast is an understatement. At an astonishing 7.5 to 7.9 kilometers per second, they far outpace any hurricane or jet stream known to science,” the authors said.
WASP-127b has long been noted by scientists for its strangely swollen state, which has earned it sweet nicknames like "cotton candy planet" or "cloud planet."
It is actually a "hot Jupiter," a large gas planet like Jupiter, but hot because it orbits so close to its parent star.
WASP-127b is estimated to be slightly larger than Jupiter, but only 16% of Jupiter's mass.
It orbits in just 4.2 days around a star called WASP-127, 520 light-years from Earth and is tidally locked to the star.
Tidal locking is a phenomenon in which a celestial body is bound by the gravity of a larger celestial body, causing it to always rotate with only one side facing the larger celestial body, similar to the Moon being tidally locked to the Earth.
In the case of WASP-127b, this situation leaves the planet with two contrasting hemispheres: One side is always day, the other is always night.
The day side of the planet has a "fiery" temperature: about 1,000 degrees Celsius. Combined with the aforementioned terrible winds, we certainly have no hope of finding life here.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/phat-hien-rung-ron-noi-hanh-tinh-gio-va-lua-196250124082805027.htm
Comment (0)