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- Astronomers have discovered a distant exoplanet that is so incredibly extreme that life as we know it would not last there for a second.
- Temperatures of more than 3,000 ° C, oceans of lava and supersonic winds terrorize the surface of the planet, while the intense heat vaporizes the rock that then rains down from above.
- The planet is tidally locked to its star, and temperatures on the nightside drop below 200ºC.
In recent years we have learned a lot about exoplanets, planets that exist outside our own solar system, thanks to increasingly powerful telescope technology. We have detected icy planets and others that are super-hot gas balls. Now, researchers have spotted one that is as hostile as you can imagine.
In a new study published in Monthly Notices from the Royal Astronomical Society, researchers describe the planet known as K2-141b, a rocky world roughly the size of Earth that’s covered in lava, but that’s not the only reason you wouldn’t want to visit it. The planet also features rocks that rain down from above and even winds that move at supersonic speeds. Yes, it is quite twisted.
As you can imagine, K2-141b is so ridiculously hot because it’s so close to its host star. This incredibly close relationship has also led to extreme conditions on its already uninhabitable surface. That includes precipitation in the form of rocks (yes, rocks) and winds that circle the planet at more than 3,000 miles per hour. It is the absolute peak of “extreme”.
The planet is tidally locked to its star, which means that unlike Earth, the planet always points to the side of its star and does not spin freely. The side facing the stars is where you’ll find things like a massive magma ocean, but on the other side? Freezing cold temperatures. In fact, researchers estimate that temperatures on the dark side of the planet drop to as low as -200 ° C, while the side facing the stars is around 3000 ° C.
Because the heat is so extreme on the day side of the planet, it actually melts and vaporizes the rock. That rock follows the same type of precipitation cycle as water on Earth. It rises to the atmosphere where it condenses and then falls back to Earth. It is literally raining rocky material due to the planet’s heat.
“All rocky planets, including Earth, started out as molten worlds but then quickly cooled and solidified. Lava planets give us a rare glimpse into this stage of planetary evolution, ”Professor Nicolas Cowan, from the Department of Planetary and Earth Sciences at McGill University, said in a statement.
Studying these distant worlds and understanding their evolution over time can help scientists better predict what other planetary systems look like, how they change over time, and what we might expect if we ever tried to explore these regions of space.
Mike Wehner has reported on technology and video games for the past decade, covering the latest news and trends in virtual reality, wearable devices, smartphones, and future technology. Most recently, Mike served as a technology editor at The Daily Dot, and has been featured in USA Today, Time.com, and in many other print and web media. His love of reporting is second only to his addiction to games.
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