Superb “ sun dogs ” could sparkle in a foreign sky, suggests the James Webb space telescope
Beautiful luminous views in the sky, like shiny halos around the moon or luminous spots next to the sun, are not only terrestrial wonders. According to new research, similar dazzling effects can also occur on the planets of light years.
In a study published on July 21 in the magazine Astrophysique Letters, scientists at Cornell University propose that Wasp-17b, a gas giant at around 1,300 light years from Earth, could accommodate shimmering optical effects in its atmosphere. Discovered in 2009, WASP-17B is what scientists call a “hot Jupiter”, a type of gas giant that orbit very close to its star. Consequently, the world is experiencing intense heat and windsurfing winds which can reach up to 10,000 miles per hour (16,000 kilometers per hour).
These ferocious winds suggest the researchers, could be powerful enough to align tiny quartz crystals suspended in the high atmosphere of the planet-similar to the way in which the ice crystals align in the atmosphere of the earth to create “solar dogs”, which are halos and light pillars of rainbow colored, by folding and diffusing the sun.
“If we could take a photo of Wasp-17b with optical wavelengths and solve the disc of the planet, we would see these types of dog characteristics Sun,” said Nikole Lewis, an associate professor of astronomy at Cornell University in New York and co-author of the new newspaper.
The crystals responsible for these screens are made up of quartz, the same mineral commonly found in the sand and the precious stones. They are tiny – about 10,000 could go on the width of human hair. Under the strength of high -speed winds, these particles could line up mechanically, like tiny boats deriving in training on a river, Elijah Mullens, a student graduated from the Department of Astronomy and University Space who led the new study, in the press release.
The concept of mechanical alignment, where particles are oriented in response to aerodynamic forces, was proposed for the first time in 1952 by the astronomer of Cornell Tommy Gold to explain how interstellar particles could align with gas flows. While more recent theories have replaced this model of cosmic dust, the authors of the Mullens and Lewis study argue that it can always apply in the extreme conditions of exoplanetary atmospheres.
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Where the eye of the jwst arrives
Although telescopes cannot imagine these phenomena on Wasp-17b because of its great distance, scientists can deduce their presence by studying the planet’s atmosphere with the James Webb space telescope (JWST), which observes the universe under infrared light. In 2023, Lewis and Mullens were part of a team that used JWST to identify signs of quartz nanocrystals in the high altitude clouds of Wasp-17b.
“We did not expect to see quartz crystals in a warm atmosphere of Jupiter,” Lewis said in the press release.
To investigate more, the researchers built detailed models simulating how the different crystals, including quartz, enstatitis and farsteritis, would reflect or transmit light according to their orientation. Their results have shown that even small changes in the orientation of particles could produce notable differences in the light signals that JWST could detect.
“When we started looking at the planetary atmospheres, in particular these hot jupiters, it came to my mind that with 10,000 miles per hour which take place in these very dense atmospheres, the grains would surely align,” said Lewis in the press release.
Even if the crystals do not align perfectly with the wind, they can still be oriented vertically or being influenced by electric fields, creating distinct visual effects when they interact with the stars, according to scientists.
Mullens will continue to explore the alignment of particles in the WASP-17B atmosphere thanks to a newly approved JWST observation program which he directs in the coming year, according to the press release.
“In addition to being pretty, these effects can teach us how crystals interact in the atmosphere-they are really rich in information,” he said in the press release.
