{"id":57903,"date":"2024-05-01T10:01:30","date_gmt":"2024-05-01T10:01:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/9b143b7d-b9bb-4942-8779-968b7cc80b01"},"modified":"2024-05-01T12:09:40","modified_gmt":"2024-05-01T12:09:40","slug":"this-hot-jupiter-planet-is-hot-enough-to-forge-iron-and-webb-has-made-a-weather-map-of-it-from-280-lightyears-away","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/this-hot-jupiter-planet-is-hot-enough-to-forge-iron-and-webb-has-made-a-weather-map-of-it-from-280-lightyears-away\/","title":{"rendered":"This hot Jupiter planet is hot enough to forge iron, and Webb has made a weather map of it from 280 lightyears away"},"content":{"rendered":"

Webb Telescope makes a weather map of WASP-43 b <\/p>

By Iain Todd\n <\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 01 May 2024 at 10:01 AM<\/p>

\n\n

WASP-43 b is a scorchingly hot exoplanet where temperatures reach nearly 1,250 degrees Celsius (2,300 degrees Fahrenheit) and winds howl at speeds of up to 5,000 miles per hour.<\/p>

This means the hottest side of the planet is hot enough to forge iron, and what’s more, there isn’t even any relief in the form of a night and day cycle.<\/p>

Just like our Moon around Earth, exoplanet<\/a> WASP-43 b is tidally locked with its host star, meaning one side always faces the star and the other side is always facing outwards into the cosmos.<\/p>

An artist’s conception of a hot Jupiter. These are exoplanets similar to Jupiter in our own Solar System, but orbiting much closer to their host star. Credit: NASA\/Ames\/JPL-Caltech<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Not that this provides much relief for the permanent night side of the planet: despite its relative coolness, it still reaches temperatures up to 600 degrees Celsius (Fahrenheit).<\/p>
These extreme temperatures are a result of WASP-43 b being a hot Jupiter<\/a> exoplanet, which means it’s a large gas giant planet like Jupiter but orbits much closer to its host star than Jupiter does to our Sun.<\/p>
Even though the star is smaller and cooler than our Sun, exoplanet WASP-43 b orbits at a distance of just 1.3 million miles. That’s less than 1\/25th the distance between Mercury and the Sun.<\/p>
***Find out more about*** ***how the Webb Telescope studies exoplanets<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>***
Global temperature map of the hot gas-giant exoplanet WASP-43 b. Credit: Thomas Muller, MPIA<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Weather forecasting on WASP-43 b<\/strong><\/h2>
These incredible discoveries are the result of a study by a team of astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope to map weather on the exoplanet.<\/p>
They used brightness measurements over a broad spectrum of mid-infrared light, 3D climate models and previous observations from other telescopes to discover thick, high clouds covering the nightside of WASP-43 b.<\/p>
On the dayside they found equatorial winds blowing at 5,000 miles per hour, churning atmospheric gases around the exoplanet.<\/p>
As well as the scorching temperatures on the dayside and nightside of the planet, the data also revealed the hottest spot on WASP-43 b, which is just east of the point that receives the most stellar radiation<\/p>
$\"Artist's$
Artist’s impression of hot Jupiter exoplanet WASP-43 b. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
WASP-43 b was discovered in 2011 and has been observed with telescopes including the Hubble Space Telescope<\/a> and Spitzer Space Telescope<\/a>.<\/p>
You can read all about Hubble’s observations of WASP-43 b here<\/a>.<\/p>
“With\u00a0Hubble, we could clearly see that there is water vapour on the dayside. Both Hubble and Spitzer suggested there might be clouds on the nightside,” says Taylor Bell, researcher from the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute and lead author of a study published in\u00a0 *Nature Astronomy<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>*
*“But we needed more precise measurements from Webb to really begin mapping the temperature, cloud cover, winds, and more detailed atmospheric composition all the way around the planet.”<\/p>*
**How the map was made<\/strong><\/h2>** $\"A$
A light curve showing the change in brightness of the WASP-43 system over time as the planet orbits the star. Click to expand. Credit: Illustration: NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI). Science: Taylor Bell (BAERI), Joanna Barstow (The Open University), Michael Roman (University of Leicester)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
WASP-43 b is too small, dim and too close to its star to be directly observed. So how do you study a planet you can’t even see?<\/p>
The astronomers used a technique called phase curve<\/a>\u00a0spectroscopy, a which involves measuring minuscule changes in brightness of the star-planet system as the planet orbits the star.<\/p>
Brightness data captured by Webb was then used to calculate the planet\u2019s temperature.<\/p>
Webb\u2019s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) measured\u00a0light from the WASP-43 system\u00a0every 10 seconds for over 24 hours.<\/p>
“By observing over an entire orbit, we were able to calculate the temperature of different sides of the planet as they rotate into view,” says Bell.<\/p>
“From that, we could construct a rough\u00a0map of temperature\u00a0across the planet.”<\/p>
The astronomers used 3D atmospheric models, just like those used to measure weather and climate on Earth, to make their analysis of WASP-43 b.<\/p>
The study reveals how the nightside of the hot Jupiter exoplanet is covered in thick clouds that prevent some of the infrared light from escaping, which is why the scorching nightside looks cooler in infrared light.<\/p>
$\"Maps$
Maps showing the temperature of the visible side of the hot gas-giant exoplanet WASP-43 b, as the planet orbits its star. Click to expand. Credit: Illustration:NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI). Science: Taylor Bell (BAERI), Joanna Barstow (The Open University), Michael Roman (University of Leicester)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Water and winds<\/strong><\/h2>
The team were also able to use their data to measure water vapour and methane on the planet.<\/p>
They found clear evidence of water vapour on the nightside and the dayside of the planet.<\/p>
But the data shows a lack of methane in the atmosphere.<\/p>
“The fact that we don’t see methane tells us that WASP-43 b must have wind speeds reaching something like 5,000 miles per hour,” says Joanna Barstow, a study co-author from the Open University in the UK.<\/p>
“If winds move gas around from the dayside to the nightside and back again fast enough, there isn\u2019t enough time for the expected chemical reactions to produce detectable amounts of methane on the nightside.”<\/p>
**webbtelescope.org<\/strong><\/a><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n**
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Webb Telescope makes a weather map of WASP-43 b <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":57904,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"5"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/05\/this-hot-jupiter-planet-is-hot-enough-to-forge-iron-and-webb-has-made-a-weather-map-of-it-from-280-lightyears-away.jpg",1200,800,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/05\/this-hot-jupiter-planet-is-hot-enough-to-forge-iron-and-webb-has-made-a-weather-map-of-it-from-280-lightyears-away-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/05\/this-hot-jupiter-planet-is-hot-enough-to-forge-iron-and-webb-has-made-a-weather-map-of-it-from-280-lightyears-away-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/05\/this-hot-jupiter-planet-is-hot-enough-to-forge-iron-and-webb-has-made-a-weather-map-of-it-from-280-lightyears-away-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/05\/this-hot-jupiter-planet-is-hot-enough-to-forge-iron-and-webb-has-made-a-weather-map-of-it-from-280-lightyears-away-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/05\/this-hot-jupiter-planet-is-hot-enough-to-forge-iron-and-webb-has-made-a-weather-map-of-it-from-280-lightyears-away.jpg",1200,800,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/05\/this-hot-jupiter-planet-is-hot-enough-to-forge-iron-and-webb-has-made-a-weather-map-of-it-from-280-lightyears-away.jpg",1200,800,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Webb Telescope makes a weather map of WASP-43 b","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/57903"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

An artist’s conception of a hot Jupiter. These are exoplanets similar to Jupiter in our own Solar System, but orbiting much closer to their host star. Credit: NASA\/Ames\/JPL-Caltech<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Not that this provides much relief for the permanent night side of the planet: despite its relative coolness, it still reaches temperatures up to 600 degrees Celsius (Fahrenheit).<\/p>
These extreme temperatures are a result of WASP-43 b being a hot Jupiter<\/a> exoplanet, which means it’s a large gas giant planet like Jupiter but orbits much closer to its host star than Jupiter does to our Sun.<\/p>
Even though the star is smaller and cooler than our Sun, exoplanet WASP-43 b orbits at a distance of just 1.3 million miles. That’s less than 1\/25th the distance between Mercury and the Sun.<\/p>
***Find out more about*** ***how the Webb Telescope studies exoplanets<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>***
Global temperature map of the hot gas-giant exoplanet WASP-43 b. Credit: Thomas Muller, MPIA<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Weather forecasting on WASP-43 b<\/strong><\/h2>
These incredible discoveries are the result of a study by a team of astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope to map weather on the exoplanet.<\/p>
They used brightness measurements over a broad spectrum of mid-infrared light, 3D climate models and previous observations from other telescopes to discover thick, high clouds covering the nightside of WASP-43 b.<\/p>
On the dayside they found equatorial winds blowing at 5,000 miles per hour, churning atmospheric gases around the exoplanet.<\/p>
As well as the scorching temperatures on the dayside and nightside of the planet, the data also revealed the hottest spot on WASP-43 b, which is just east of the point that receives the most stellar radiation<\/p>
$\"Artist's$
Artist’s impression of hot Jupiter exoplanet WASP-43 b. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
WASP-43 b was discovered in 2011 and has been observed with telescopes including the Hubble Space Telescope<\/a> and Spitzer Space Telescope<\/a>.<\/p>
You can read all about Hubble’s observations of WASP-43 b here<\/a>.<\/p>
“With\u00a0Hubble, we could clearly see that there is water vapour on the dayside. Both Hubble and Spitzer suggested there might be clouds on the nightside,” says Taylor Bell, researcher from the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute and lead author of a study published in\u00a0 *Nature Astronomy<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>*
*“But we needed more precise measurements from Webb to really begin mapping the temperature, cloud cover, winds, and more detailed atmospheric composition all the way around the planet.”<\/p>*
**How the map was made<\/strong><\/h2>** $\"A$
A light curve showing the change in brightness of the WASP-43 system over time as the planet orbits the star. Click to expand. Credit: Illustration: NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI). Science: Taylor Bell (BAERI), Joanna Barstow (The Open University), Michael Roman (University of Leicester)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
WASP-43 b is too small, dim and too close to its star to be directly observed. So how do you study a planet you can’t even see?<\/p>
The astronomers used a technique called phase curve<\/a>\u00a0spectroscopy, a which involves measuring minuscule changes in brightness of the star-planet system as the planet orbits the star.<\/p>
Brightness data captured by Webb was then used to calculate the planet\u2019s temperature.<\/p>
Webb\u2019s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) measured\u00a0light from the WASP-43 system\u00a0every 10 seconds for over 24 hours.<\/p>
“By observing over an entire orbit, we were able to calculate the temperature of different sides of the planet as they rotate into view,” says Bell.<\/p>
“From that, we could construct a rough\u00a0map of temperature\u00a0across the planet.”<\/p>
The astronomers used 3D atmospheric models, just like those used to measure weather and climate on Earth, to make their analysis of WASP-43 b.<\/p>
The study reveals how the nightside of the hot Jupiter exoplanet is covered in thick clouds that prevent some of the infrared light from escaping, which is why the scorching nightside looks cooler in infrared light.<\/p>
$\"Maps$
Maps showing the temperature of the visible side of the hot gas-giant exoplanet WASP-43 b, as the planet orbits its star. Click to expand. Credit: Illustration:NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI). Science: Taylor Bell (BAERI), Joanna Barstow (The Open University), Michael Roman (University of Leicester)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Water and winds<\/strong><\/h2>
The team were also able to use their data to measure water vapour and methane on the planet.<\/p>
They found clear evidence of water vapour on the nightside and the dayside of the planet.<\/p>
But the data shows a lack of methane in the atmosphere.<\/p>
“The fact that we don’t see methane tells us that WASP-43 b must have wind speeds reaching something like 5,000 miles per hour,” says Joanna Barstow, a study co-author from the Open University in the UK.<\/p>
“If winds move gas around from the dayside to the nightside and back again fast enough, there isn\u2019t enough time for the expected chemical reactions to produce detectable amounts of methane on the nightside.”<\/p>
**webbtelescope.org<\/strong><\/a><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n**
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