For the first time, scientists have observed weather patterns on a planet outside our solar system. What caught their special attention is that this planet has clouds filled with precious gem minerals like sapphire and ruby.
Located approximately 1,000 light-years away in the Cygnus constellation, there is a giant celestial body called HAT-P-7b, first discovered in the Kepler space exploration mission in 2008. Besides being “massive,” 16 times the size of Earth, HAT-P-7b was once considered unremarkable.
However, HAT-P-7b is now the first exoplanet outside our solar system with identified weather patterns.
David Armstrong, an expert from the University of Warwick’s Astronomy and Astrophysics Group, stated, “Using NASA’s Kepler satellite, we were able to study the reflected light from the atmosphere of HAT-P-7b and found that this atmosphere is changing over time. HAT-P-7b is a planet experiencing tidal locking, with one side always facing its star. We speculate that clouds form on the frigid night side of the planet but evaporate rapidly on the hot daytime side.”
The results reveal strong winds circulating around the planet, shifting clouds from the nighttime side to the daytime side. Sudden changes in wind speeds lead to the large cloud formations breaking apart. This marks the first discovery of weather patterns on a giant exoplanet outside our solar system.
According to the research, HAT-P-7b is scorching on the daytime side, with an average temperature reaching nearly 2,587 degrees Celsius. The clouds on this planet are especially unique because they can contain corundum, the mineral that forms sapphires and rubies.