Rock rains and supersonic winds rage on "lava planets"

Scientists used computer simulations to predict weather conditions on the K2-141b.

Analyzing

exoplanet lighting scheme, scientists have found outthat two-thirds of K2-141b are exposed to constant daylight. This Earth-sized exoplanet belongs to a group of rocky planets orbiting very close to its star. The close distance gravitationally holds it in place - the same side of the planet always faces the star.

On the "night" side, the temperature drops to-200 ° C. The "daytime" half of the exoplanet heats up to 3000 ° C. This high temperature not only melts rocks on the planet's surface, but also vaporizes them, eventually creating a thin "rock atmosphere".

It is noteworthy that the atmosphere of stone steam,created due to intense heat, is subject to precipitation. Similar to the water cycle on Earth—as it evaporates, rises into the atmosphere, condenses, and falls back as rain—the same thing happens with sodium, silicon monoxide, and silicon dioxide on K2-141b. On Earth, rain falls back into the oceans, where it evaporates again. On K2-141b, mineral vapor is carried by supersonic winds to the cold “night” side, where the rocks “rain” back into the magma ocean. The flows again end up on the hot side of the exoplanet, where the rocks evaporate again.

“All rocky planets, including the Earth,started out as molten worlds, but then quickly cooled and solidified. The lava planets give us a rare glimpse into this stage of planetary evolution, ”said Professor Cowan of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at McGill University.

The next step for scientists will be to checkthe correctness of these forecasts. Researchers now have data from the Spitzer Space Telescope that will give them their first insight into the exoplanet's actual day and night temperatures. With the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope in 2021, they will also be able to check whether the weather on K2-141b matches scientists' predictions.

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