If you think that living on Earth in 2020 is comparable to hell, then Planet K2-141B is here to prove you wrong.
On a scorching hot planet, hundreds of light-years away, the oceans are made up of molten lava, the winds reach supersonic speeds, and the rain is made up of rocks. Scientists refer to satire, Hellish Like the most “extreme” ever found.
According to a new study published in Monthly Notice of the Royal Astronomical SocietyScientists at McGill University, York University and the Indian Institute of Science Education have uncovered a description of a new “lava planet” – a world that revolves so close to its host star that much of it is made up of lava oceans. .
Scientists have found the atmosphere and weather cycle of K2-141B Especially ironic. The Earth-sized exoplanets The surface, ocean, and atmosphere seem to be made of the same thing: rock.
“The study is the first to predict the weather conditions at K2-141B, which could be found hundreds of light years away with the next-generation James Webb Space Telescope, such as the James Webb Space Telescope,” said lead author Giang Nguyen. Said in a News released this week.
Julie Rousey, McGill Graphic Design and Getty Images
Analyzing the pattern of planetary light, scientists found that about two-thirds of the planets experience daylight all the time. The proximity of its stars to K2-141B has seriously locked it in place – meaning that one side always faces the star.
This extremely hot part of the planet reaches a temperature of 5,400 degrees Fahrenheit. It is hot enough to not only melt the rocks, but also to steam them, creating a thin, sheltered atmosphere.
Co-author Nicholas Cowan said: “Our search is likely to extend the atmosphere a little further off the coast of the magma ocean, making it easier to see through space telescopes.” Co-author Nicholas Cowan said.
The rest of the planet is shrouded in endless darkness, reaching a soft temperature of 328 degrees Fahrenheit.
In the Earth’s water cycle, water evaporates, rises into the atmosphere, condenses, and returns to the surface in the form of rain. Now imagine this process, but instead of water, K2-141b have only rocks to work with.
At K2-141b, sodium, silicon monoxide and silicon dioxide are released into the mineral vapor, which is carried by supersonic winds to the dark side of the planet at speeds of more than 3,100 miles per hour. From there, the rocks return to the 60-mile-deep ocean of rain-soaked magma, which returns to the glowing side to revive the cycle.
However, the cycle is not as stable as on Earth, scientists said. The flow of magma oceans slows down from night to day – researchers predict that the mineral composition will change over time, eventually completely changing the Earth’s surface and atmosphere.
“All the rocky planets, including the earth, started as a molten world, but then quickly cooled down and solidified,” Cowan said. Lava planets give us a rare glimpse into this stage of planetary evolution.
Scientists hope their findings will be further corroborated James Webb Space Telescope Launched in 2021.
