Is it pointless searching for distant planets? Scientists have discovered the most extreme climate yet. The rain is made of metal. The winds are ultra-fast. Luckily, it is millions of miles away.
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Welcome to the planet where it rains iron
Is it pointless searching for distant planets? Scientists have discovered the most extreme climate yet. The rain is made of metal. The winds are ultra-fast. Luckily, it is millions of miles away.
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What's happening?
Winds howl at over 6,000 mph. It is raining. But the droplets are made of boiling ironA common metal. It melts at 1,538C. Rain made of iron would be deadly., not water.
This is a normal day on Wasp-76b. It is a planet 640 light-years away.
Wasp-76b is an exoplanetA planet that orbits a star outside of our solar system. The radio frequency detected was too precise to be made by nature alone. . This means it comes from outside our Solar SystemThe Sun and the objects whose movement it controls..
It is very close to its star. This means it gets very hot. The temperature is over 2,000C.
Find out more
One side of the planet is always in daylight. The other half is always in darkness.
Wasp-76b gets so hot that metal melts. The clouds are made of iron. The rain is nearly 1,500C.
Scientists discovered Wasp-76b with a huge telescope in ChileThe Very Large Telescope (known as VLT) is a group of four telescopes in Chile. They are extremely powerful, detecting objects roughly four billion times fainter than can be detected with the naked eye, and capable of finding planets hundreds of light years away..
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But is it pointless looking for distant planets?
Yes. Exploring space is expensive. We've got enough challenges here at home! We will never be able to visit Wasp-76b. Why bother finding out about it?
No! It is fun learning about different worlds. Plus, space travel brought us useful inventions like velcro and satellitesA satellite is a small object that orbits, or revolves around, a larger object in space..
Keywords
Iron - A common metal. It melts at 1,538C. Rain made of iron would be deadly.
Exoplanet - A planet that orbits a star outside of our solar system. The radio frequency detected was too precise to be made by nature alone.
Solar System - The Sun and the objects whose movement it controls.
Chile - The Very Large Telescope (known as VLT) is a group of four telescopes in Chile. They are extremely powerful, detecting objects roughly four billion times fainter than can be detected with the naked eye, and capable of finding planets hundreds of light years away.
Satellites - A satellite is a small object that orbits, or revolves around, a larger object in space.
Welcome to the planet where it rains iron
Glossary
Iron - A common metal. It melts at 1,538C. Rain made of iron would be deadly.
Exoplanet - A planet that orbits a star outside of our solar system. The radio frequency detected was too precise to be made by nature alone.
Solar System - The Sun and the objects whose movement it controls.
Chile - The Very Large Telescope (known as VLT) is a group of four telescopes in Chile. They are extremely powerful, detecting objects roughly four billion times fainter than can be detected with the naked eye, and capable of finding planets hundreds of light years away.
Satellites - A satellite is a small object that orbits, or revolves around, a larger object in space.