{"id":27315,"date":"2025-02-18T11:00:31","date_gmt":"2025-02-18T16:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=27315"},"modified":"2025-02-18T01:38:35","modified_gmt":"2025-02-18T06:38:35","slug":"eso-first-3d-observations-of-an-exoplanets-atmosphere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=27315","title":{"rendered":"ESO: First 3D observations of an exoplanet’s atmosphere"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new report from the European Southern Observatory (ESO)<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cOut of science fiction\u201d: First 3D observations <\/span>
\nof an exoplanet\u2019s atmosphere reveal a unique climate<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Tylos (or WASP-121b) is a gaseous, giant exoplanet located some 900 light-years away in the constellation Puppis. Using the ESPRESSO instrument on ESO\u2019s Very Large Telescope (VLT), scientists have been able to prove into its atmosphere, revealing its 3D structure. This is the first time that this has been possible on a planet outside of the Solar System.\u00a0 The atmosphere of Tylos is divided into three layers, with iron winds at the bottom, followed by a very fast jet stream of sodium, and finally an upper layer of hydrogen winds. This kind of climate has never been seen before on any planet.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Astronomers have peered through the atmosphere of a planet beyond the Solar System, mapping its 3D structure for the first time. By combining all four telescope units of the European Southern Observatory\u2019s Very Large Telescope (ESO\u2019s VLT), they found powerful winds carrying chemical elements like iron and titanium, creating intricate weather patterns across the planet\u2019s atmosphere. The discovery opens the door for detailed studies of the chemical makeup and weather of other alien worlds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis planet\u2019s atmosphere behaves in ways that challenge our understanding of how weather works \u2014 not just on Earth, but on all planets. It feels like something out of science fiction,\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

says Julia Victoria Seidel, a researcher at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Chile and lead author of the study, published today in Nature.<\/p>\n

The planet, WASP-121b (also known as Tylos), is some 900 light-years away in the constellation Puppis. It\u2019s an ultra-hot Jupiter, a gas giant orbiting its host star so closely that a year there lasts only about 30 Earth hours. Moreover, one side of the planet is scorching, as it is always facing the star, while the other side is much cooler.<\/p>\n