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The exoplanet K2-141b lives in an orbit close to its star, making it a wild and inhospitable place.
Julie Roussy / Getty Images
If you ever need to feel more grateful for Earth, take a moment to contemplate some of the truly horrific exoplanets lurking outside our solar system. Take, for example, K2-141b, a “lava planet” nightmare where it rains rock.
A team of researchers led by York University graduate student Tue Giang Nguyen ran computer simulations to predict conditions and weather on the extreme planet. K2-141b has the misfortune of being close to its host star. It is also oriented so that two-thirds of the planet are locked in incandescent perpetual light while the dark side remains frosty.
Scientists published a study of K2-141b in the Royal Astronomical Society’s monthly notices. The exoplanet could host an ocean of magma reaching a depth of 100 kilometers, while its surface is hit by supersonic winds of over 3,100 miles per hour (5,000 kilometers per hour).
“All the rocky planets, including Earth, were born as fused worlds but then quickly cooled and solidified. The lava planets give us a rare glimpse at this stage of planetary evolution, “planetary scientist Nicolas Cowan said in a McGill University statement Tuesday.
Computer simulations suggest that K2-141b is raining rocks. “On K2-141b, the mineral vapor formed by the evaporated rock is swept to the frigid side of the night by supersonic winds and the ‘rain’ of the rocks in an ocean of magma,” the university said.
The researchers hope the new generation telescopes will like it NASA’s long-delayed James Webb Space Telescope can take a closer look at the exoplanet and tell us if the computer simulations are accurate.
Even though K2-141b is only half the hell out of what they think, it’s enough to make you want to embrace the Earth and never let go.
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