Ultra hot planet with iron, titanium in its atmosphere

An ultra hot planet 650 light years from Earth has an atmosphere of vaporized iron and titanium and surface temperatures approaching that of our sun, according to new observations, reports CNN. KELT-9b is an "archetype of the class of ultra hot Jupiters that straddle the transition between stars and gas-giant exoplanets," a team of European researchers wrote in the journal Nature this week.

The distant gas giant, which has an equilibrium temperature of 3,770 degrees Celsius (6,830ºF), is the first time heavy metals have been detected in a planet's atmosphere.

That discovery adds to the already heightened interest around KELT-9b, which was first spotted last year by researchers examining the constellation Cygnus.

The planet's extreme heat meant researchers were able to detect iron and titanium atoms in the atmosphere as standalone atoms, not bound up in other molecules, researcher Kevin Heng wrote in an explanatory blog post. Because KELT-9b is so hot, the atoms don't condense into clouds in the atmosphere, but float around free.

"Clouds are probably absent because it is difficult to condense out any solid material from the gas at 4000 degrees Kelvin," he added.

Iron and titanium "have long been an ingredient in the theory of exoplanet formation, but they have never been directly detected," Heng said. They were detected by examining light from the planet as it passed in front of its star. From fluctuations in that spectral data, Heng and his fellow researchers could spot evidence of heavy metals in the atmosphere.

 

Ultra hot planet with iron, titanium in its atmosphere

An ultra hot planet 650 light years from Earth has an atmosphere of vaporized iron and titanium and surface temperatures approaching that of our sun, according to new observations, reports CNN. KELT-9b is an archetype of the class of ultra hot Jupiters that straddle the transition between stars and gas-giant exoplanets, a team of European researchers wrote in the journal Nature this week. The distant gas giant, which has an equilibrium temperature of 3,770 degrees Celsius (6,830F), is the first time heavy metals have been detected in a planets atmosphere. That discovery adds to the already heightened interest around KELT-9b, which was first spotted last year by researchers examining the constellation Cygnus. The planets extreme heat meant researchers were able to detect iron and titanium atoms in the atmosphere as standalone atoms, not bound up in other molecules, researcher Kevin Heng wrote in an explanatory blog post. Because KELT-9b is so hot, the atoms dont condense into clouds in the atmosphere, but float around free. Clouds are probably absent because it is difficult to condense out any solid material from the gas at 4000 degrees Kelvin, he added. Iron and titanium have long been an ingredient in the theory of exoplanet formation, but they have never been directly detected, Heng said. They were detected by examining light from the planet as it passed in front of its star. From fluctuations in that spectral data, Heng and his fellow researchers could spot evidence of heavy metals in the atmosphere.