Astronomers Discover Record-Breaking Supersonic Winds on Distant Exoplanet
Astronomers have detected record-breaking winds on a faraway gas giant, WASP-127b, which move at an astonishing speed of 20,500 mph (33,000 km/h). These winds are the fastest ever measured on any planet.
WASP-127b, located 520 light-years from Earth, is slightly larger than Jupiter but only 16% as dense, making it one of the puffiest planets known. Orbiting its host star in just four days, the planet’s inflated nature allows scientists to analyze its upper atmosphere in remarkable detail.
A team led by Lisa Nortmann from the University of Göttingen observed the planet using a spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope in Chile. As WASP-127b transited its star, the filtered starlight revealed carbon monoxide and water vapor in its atmosphere. However, the data also showed something unusual—molecules moving in different directions.
"We noticed two distinct signals," Nortmann explained. "It became clear that these were caused by supersonic jet winds confined to the planet’s equator." These winds are estimated to be six times faster than WASP-127b’s rotation and are 18 times stronger than Neptune's famously fast winds in our solar system.
The research also suggests temperature differences between the planet's morning and evening sides, hinting at complex weather systems. Study co-author Fei Yan noted, "This shows the planet has dynamic weather patterns, similar to Earth and other planets in our solar system."
The findings, published in Astronomy and Astrophysics, highlight WASP-127b’s extreme and unique characteristics, offering new insights into the atmospheres of distant worlds.
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