One of the most extensively researched exoplanets’ weather was modelled by astronomers using Hubble data.
Numerous decades have passed since the initial discovery of extrasolar planets by astronomers. At first, we were only able to make educated guesses about the size and orbit of these planets; but, the development of more advanced instrumentation and modeling techniques has allowed us to gain a deeper comprehension of these faraway worlds. An international group of astronomers has modeled the atmosphere of an exoplanet known as WASP-121 b by collecting observational data from the Hubble Space Telescope that has been archived over a period of several years. Consequently, this is the first time that genuine weather patterns on an extrasolar planet have been simulated.
The object known as WASP-121 b is a gas giant that orbits very near to its star and is classified as a “hot Jupiter.” It is possible that gemstones will “rain” on this planet because the conditions are so harsh. In speaking, these planets are easier to identify because they block more light as they pass in front of the star. However, even though it is 1.1 times the size of Jupiter, WASP-121 b, also known as Tylos, is hardly visible in Hubble’s lens.
Even Hubble, which is located more than 880 light-years away, needs to stack data from several observations in order to extract any type of information. A “averaged” picture of the exoplanet is what astronomers essentially generate, according to the European Space Agency (ESA). It is possible to use this to analyze certain aspects, but it is not able to provide information about how the exoplanet might change over time.
During the years 2016, 2018, and 2019, astronomers used Hubble to make observations of WASP-121 b. These observations allowed them to determine the orbit of the object as well as the composition of its atmosphere. The group of researchers that were responsible for this most recent study compiled all of this information, which included phase curves, transits, and secondary eclipses. They reprocessed all of the data in order to maintain consistency, which enables them to provide you with something that averaged views are unable to do: a weather report for an exoplanet.
According to the experts, the data set that has been cleaned up demonstrates clear changes in the atmosphere over time. An illustration of this would be how the hotspot on WASP-121 b moved around from one observing campaign to the next. In order to explain the variability of the data, they developed models using the data, which revealed that semi-periodic weather patterns could be responsible. This is the result of the simulation of weather patterns on WASP-121 b that was presented earlier.
According to Jack Skinner, a co-author of the study from the California Institute of Technology, “the high resolution of our exoplanet atmosphere simulations enables us to accurately model the weather on extremely hot planets such as WASP-121 b.” The team expects that future studies with Hubble and more powerful telescopes like Webb will add to the corpus of data describing exoplanets. WASP-121 b was an excellent place to start because it has been examined so extensively, but they hope that future observations will improve the dataset. It’s possible that we’ll discover that weather patterns are essential to comprehending how these planets function.