Supersonic winds on lava planet, rocky rain forecast

Among the most extreme planets outside the edge of our solar system are lava planets: a fiery warm world that circles near their host constellation that some regions are probably oceans of molten lava. According to scientists from McGill University, York University, and the Indian Institute of Science Education, the atmosphere and weather cycle of at least one such exoplanet is also unknown, with a range of 5,000 km. More than an hour, cracked rocks, evaporation of supersonic winds, and precipitation are observed. , And the Magma Sea 100 km.

In a study published in Monthly instructions of the Royal Astronomical Society, Scientists use computer 2 simulation K2-141B, to predict conditions made up of all the elements with the Earth-sized explanation, surface, ocean and atmosphere: rocks. The extreme weather predicted by their analysis can change the surface and atmosphere of K2-141B permanently over time.

Jiang Nguyen, author of the Ph.D., says, “This study is the first to make predictions about weather conditions at 2-141b that could be detected hundreds of light years away from next-generation telescopes such as the James Webb Web Space Telescope.” . A student at York University who worked on the study under the supervision of Professor Nicholas Cowan of McGill University.

Two-thirds of the exoplanet faces infinite daylight

While analyzing the illumination pattern of the exoplanet, the team found that about 2 thirds of K2-141b is always illuminated, which we use to replace the illuminated hemisphere on Earth. K2-141b is related to a subset of rocky planets that orbit very close to their star. This proximity keeps the exoplanet gravity locked in place, meaning that the same side always faces the star.

At night the side temperature experiences temperatures below -200C. On the day side of the exoplanet, a temperature of about 3000 C is hot enough not only to melt the rocks, but also to evaporate, eventually forming a thin atmosphere in some areas. “Our potential discovery means that the atmosphere extends slightly along the shores of the Magma Sea, making it easier to find a place with space telescopes,” says Nicholas Cowan, a professor of Earth and Planetary Science at McGill University.

Like the water cycle of the earth, with only rocks

Significantly, the atmosphere of rock vapor created by extreme heat passes through precipitation. Just as the water cycle on Earth, where evaporation takes place, rises in the atmosphere, condenses, and returns as rain, so does sodium, silicon monoxide, and silicon dioxide on K2-141b. On Earth, rain flows back into the oceans, where it will evaporate once more and the water cycle repeats itself. At K2-141b, the mineral vapor formed by the evaporated rock is turned back into the magma ocean by supersonic winds and the rocks “rain”. The resulting currents return to the hot day side of the exoplanet, where once the rock evaporates.

However, the cycle at K2-141b is not as stable as that on Earth, scientists say. The return flow of magma oceans slows down during the day, and as a result they predict that the mineral composition will change over time – eventually changing the surface and atmosphere of 2-141b.

“All the rocky planets, including Earth, started out as molten worlds, but have since rapidly cooled and strengthened. Lava planets give us a rare glimpse at this stage of planetary evolution,” says Professor Cowan of the Department of Earth and Planetary Science.

Scientists say the next step is to test whether these predictions are true. The team now has data from the Spitzer Space Telescope that should give them a first glimpse into the day-side and night-side temperatures of the exoplanet. With the launch of the James Webb Web Space Telescope in 2021, they will also be able to test whether they are behaving in accordance with the weather forecast.