Cheops discovers a light phenomenon on an exoplanet
Published: Friday, Apr 5th 2024, 12:40
Updated At: Saturday, Apr 6th 2024, 01:59
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The Swiss Cheops space telescope has found a kind of rainbow on a planet 637 light years away. This discovery of a so-called gloria is probably the first evidence of this phenomenon outside our solar system.
However, further investigations are still needed to confirm whether the observation on the planet "WASP-76b" was really a gloria, as the University of Geneva announced on Friday. The researchers presented their discovery in a study in the journal "Astronomy & Astrophysics".
A halo is a rainbow-like scattering of light that looks like a halo. It occurs when light passes through perfectly uniform droplets and is reflected. In the case of the earth, the droplets consist of water.
Drops of iron?
However, the nature of these droplets on WASP-76b is still a mystery, according to the university. It could be iron, as this has already been detected in the surface of the planet.
"The reason why such a glow has never been observed outside our solar system is that this phenomenon requires very specific conditions," explained first author Olivier Demangeon in the press release. First of all, the droplets would have to be almost perfectly spherical, completely uniform and sufficiently stable to be observed over a long period of time. In addition, these droplets would have to be directly illuminated by the planet's star and the observer - in this case the Cheops space telescope - would have to be in the right place.
2400 degrees hot
The discovery of such tiny phenomena at such a great distance will enable scientists to recognize other, equally important phenomena, according to the University of Geneva. For example, the reflection of starlight on liquid lakes and oceans - a necessary condition for habitability.
The planet "WASP-76b" has been closely scrutinized by astronomers since its discovery in 2013. This revealed that the gas giant is subject to extreme conditions with iron rain and temperatures of up to 2400 degrees Celsius. Chemical elements that would form rocks on Earth melt and vaporize there before condensing on the slightly cooler night side and creating clouds.
©Keystone/SDA
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