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Astounding Discovery: WASP-121b's Fiery Atmosphere and Calcium Rain

2/4/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery about WASP-121b, an ultrahot Jupiter 881 light-years away, boasting a blistering atmosphere of 2,500°C. This fiery world, with its unusual rock-to-ice ratio, defies conventional gas giant formation theories, hinting it formed nearer to its star. Astonishingly, it even experiences calcium rain as vaporized metals cool and condense on its nightside.

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Story summary

Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery about WASP-121b, an ultrahot Jupiter 881 light-years away, boasting a blistering atmosphere of 2,500°C. This fiery world, with its unusual rock-to-ice ratio, defies conventional gas giant formation theories, hinting it formed nearer to its star. Astonishingly, it even experiences calcium rain as vaporized metals cool and condense on its nightside.