Explore the extremes of our galaxy! Hot Jupiters boiling with metals and icy rogue planets - a cosmic journey awaits. Discover how scientists unveil these worlds and what they teach us about the universe.
Read on to expand your cosmic horizons!
Namaste, space enthusiasts! Ever looked up at the night sky and wondered what's really out there? We're not just talking about twinkling stars, but whole other worlds orbiting those stars. And some of these worlds? They are straight-up bonkers!
Forget everything you know about planets from our solar system. These extreme planets redefine what we thought was possible. Let’s embark on a cosmic journey to explore some of the most mind-boggling planets discovered so far. Get ready to have your mind blown!
Some planets scorching hot, called "hot Jupiters," reach thousands of degrees Celsius, melting metal
First up, let's talk about planets that are scorching hot, I mean, really hot. Imagine a planet so close to its star that a year lasts only a few hours! That’s the case with some of these scorching planets.
They are called "hot Jupiters" because they are gas giants like our Jupiter, but much, much closer to their star. This proximity makes them incredibly hot. The temperatures can reach thousands of degrees Celsius, hot enough to melt metal. It's like being in the heart of a furnace, constantly.
You definitely wouldn't want to go sunbathing there! The intense heat also causes some crazy phenomena, like atmospheres made of evaporated metals!
Planets far from stars reach extreme cold, some rogue
Now, let's shift our focus to planets that are icy cold. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are planets that are ridiculously cold. These planets are located far from their stars, receiving very little sunlight. Some may even be rogue planets, wandering through space without a star at all.
On these worlds, temperatures can plummet to hundreds of degrees below zero. Imagine a place where the air itself is frozen solid! It's a world of perpetual darkness and extreme cold, where even the most robust materials would become brittle. Scientists are still exploring such a cold dark world.
Extreme planets: boiling metals, scorching heat, freezing cold
Here are a few examples. 'WASP-121b’ a hot Jupiter, has a stratosphere containing gases such as magnesium and iron, so the planet is a gaseous planet where its atmosphere is literally boiling with metals.
'Kepler-70B’ is another extreme planet which has a surface temperature that might reach a staggering 6,800 degree Celsius! It’s a planet where it is probably very hard to stay! 'OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb’ is an extremely cold planet.
It is a super-Earth where the surface temperature is lower than -220 degree! Imagine yourself in such a world!
Scientists discover planets in the galaxy using transit method
Let’s explore how planets are discovered in the galaxy. So how do scientists even find these extreme planets? Well, it's not like they are just zooming around in spaceships with telescopes. Most exoplanets (planets outside our solar system) are simply too small and far away to be seen directly.
Instead, astronomers use clever methods. One of these methods is called the "transit method." Think of it like this: imagine a tiny ant walking across a giant spotlight. The ant is so small that you can’t see it but the spotlight would dim a little bit when the ant crosses in front of it.
When a planet passes in front of its star, the star's light dims slightly. Scientists can measure this dimming and use it to determine the size and orbit of the planet. This technique uses very high quality instruments.
Method of Doppler shift detects planets by star's wobble from Earth
Another method is the "Doppler shift." Everything is moving in space, even stars. As a planet orbits a star, it causes the star to wobble slightly.
This wobble affects the light emitted by the star, shifting it towards the blue end of the spectrum as the star moves towards us, and towards the red end as it moves away.
By measuring these tiny shifts in the star's light, scientists can detect the presence of the planet and determine its mass and orbital period. These methods and lots of math skills lead scientists to explore these extreme planets.
Extreme planets offer insights into planet formation, expanding our understanding of the universe and potential for human habitation
So, what can we learn from these extreme planets? Even though these planets might seem inhospitable, they provide invaluable insights into planet formation. Studying these bizarre worlds helps us understand the range of possibilities that exist in the universe.
They challenge our assumptions about what planets can be made of, how they can orbit, and how they can evolve. Studying them helps to find more planets near the solar system, a journey to be continued by the scientists. It also helps to understand possibilities of other planets.
It might also lead to find another place for humans to stay, away from the Earth.
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