Discovery of ‘Colored Rings of Light’ on Exoplanet WASP-76b Raises Questions About Atmospheres and Habitability

However, observations from the European Space Agency’s Exoplanet Characterization Satellite (CHEOPS) suggest that there may be “coloured rings of light” between the star’s day and night boundary.

Co-investigator Dr Thomas Wilson said: “We have never seen these colorful concentric rings on an extrasolar object before, so if confirmed by future studies, this could make WASP-76b a truly unique object. And it allows us to understand the atmospheres of distant exoplanets and their habitability.”

Meanwhile, Dr Olivier Demangian of the Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences in Portugal added that “There is a reason why no one has ever seen this glow before. Because there must be very strange conditions outside our solar system. First, you need particles in the nearby atmosphere that are perfectly spherical, uniform, and stable enough to be observed for long periods of time. So, the stars nearby The conjunction of the planet must shine directly on it. with the observer in the correct direction”

The discovery of WASP-76b comes after scientists recorded 23 observations over three years as it passed in front of and around a Sun-like star. The data collected shows a surprising increase in the amount of light coming from the star’s eastern edge, where night meets day.

This allowed astronomers to determine the source of the signal, Dr. Demanjian explained.

“This is the first time such a drastic change in the brightness of an exoplanet has been detected. This discovery led us to hypothesize that this unexpected glow could be due to strong localized fluorescence reflection.”

He said the next step is to useJames Webb Space Telescope (JWST) from NASA to officially confirm that this is an effect. ‘Colorful circles of light’ “The confirmation implies that the temperature of WASP-76b’s atmosphere must remain constant over time. This creates clouds composed of perfectly spherical water droplets that are essential for the formation of colored circles.”

Origin

• Mirror
• PHOTO: University of Warwick/SWNS

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