Considered an ultra-hot Jupiter – a place where iron gets vaporized, condenses on the night side and then falls from the sky like rain — the fiery, inferno-like WASP-76b exoplanet may be even more sizzling than scientists had realized.
An international team, led by scientists at Cornell University, University of Toronto and Queen’s University Belfast, reports the discovery of ionized calcium on the planet – suggesting an atmospheric temperature higher than previously thought, or strong upper atmosphere winds.
The discovery was made in high-resolution spectra obtained with Gemini North near the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
Hot Jupiters are named for their h...
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