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If you think living on Earth in 2020 is comparable to hell, then planet K2-141B is here to prove you wrong.
On a 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, Infernal As the most “extreme” ever found.
According to a new study published in the Royal Astronomical Society’s Monthly Notice, scientists from McGill University, York University and the Indian Institute of Science Education have uncovered a description of a new “lava planet,” a world that rotates so close. to its host star that much of it is made up of oceans of lava. .
Scientists discovered K2-141B’s atmosphere and weather cycle Particularly ironic. The Exoplanets of terrestrial dimensions The surface, the ocean and the atmosphere appear to be made of the same thing: rock.
“The study is the first to predict 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 the author. the main Giang Nguyen. Said in a news story published this week.
Julie Rousey, McGill Graphic Design and Getty Images
By analyzing the planetary light pattern, 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 one side is always facing the star.
This extremely hot part of the planet reaches a temperature of 5,400 degrees Fahrenheit. It is hot enough not only to melt the rocks, but also to steam them, creating a subtle, sheltered atmosphere.
Co-author Nicholas Cowan said, “Our research 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 infinite 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 has only rocks to work with.
At K2-141b, sodium, silicon monoxide and silicon dioxide are released into the mineral vapor, which is carried by the supersonic winds to the dark side of the planet at speeds of over 3,100 miles per hour. From there, the rocks return to the 60-mile deep ocean of rain-soaked magma, which returns to the bright side to revive the cycle.
However, the cycle is not as stable as on Earth, the scientists said. The oceans’ flux of magma slows overnight: 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 out as a melted world, but then quickly cooled and solidified,” Cowan said. The lava planets give us a rare insight into this stage of planetary evolution.
Scientists hope their findings will be further confirmed James Webb space telescope Launched in 2021.
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