HD 189733b Reflects Deep Blue Light as 7,000-kph Winds Drive Sideways Glass Rain

1 articles · Updated · spacedaily.com · Jun 21

63 light-years away, HD 189733b looks deep blue, but the color comes from silicate haze in a superheated atmosphere rather than oceans or an Earth-like surface.
More than 1,000C daytime heat turns silicates into vapor that condenses into molten glass droplets, while modeled winds near 7,000 kph can blow that material sideways through the atmosphere.
2013 Hubble observations measured the planet’s visible color directly as it passed behind its star, marking the first time astronomers pinned down the color of an exoplanet.
The gas giant is a hot Jupiter that circles its star in about two days, making it a frequent target for study and a reminder that a blue planet can be profoundly unlike Earth.

Sources

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