Astronomers uncovered record-breaking supersonic winds on exoplanet WASP-127b, with speeds reaching up to 33,000 kilometers per hour (20,500 miles per hour). This marks the first time such high-speed winds have been measured on a planet outside our solar system, setting a new record for the fastest jet stream winds observed on any planet, according to Science Daily.
An international team of astronomers made the discovery using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile. By mapping the climate and composition of WASP-127b, they gained new insights into the extreme weather conditions on the distant world.
WASP-127b is located approximately 520 light-years from Earth in the Milky Way galaxy. The exoplanet is slightly larger than Jupiter but has significantly less mass, giving it a "puffy" appearance. The atmosphere of WASP-127b is primarily composed of hydrogen and helium, along with traces of complex molecules such as carbon monoxide and water vapor, as reported by The Independent.
Using the CRIRES+ instrument on the VLT, the researchers tracked the speed of molecules in WASP-127b's atmosphere. By analyzing how light from its parent star passes through the planet's upper atmosphere, they were able to map its weather and composition, The Independent noted.
"This signal shows us that around the equator of the planet, a strong supersonic jet wind is blowing," said lead author Lisa Nortmann, an astrophysicist at the University of Göttingen in Germany, according to The Independent. The jet streams on WASP-127b move almost six times faster than the planet rotates, reaching speeds of 9 kilometers per second (approximately 33,000 kilometers per hour).
"This is something we haven't seen before," Nortmann added, emphasizing the unprecedented nature of the findings regarding WASP-127b's extreme weather, as reported by Science Daily.
"Understanding the dynamics of these exoplanets helps us explore mechanisms like heat transport and chemical processes, improve our understanding of planet formation, and gain insights into the origins of our own solar system," said co-author David Kott from Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich, according to Science Daily.
"That shows the planet has complex weather patterns, just like Earth and other planets in our solar system," explained Fei Yan, a co-author from the University of Science and Technology in China, reported Gizmodo.
The researchers found that the poles of WASP-127b are cooler than the rest of the planet, with smaller temperature differences between the morning and evening sides, leading to different weather dynamics.
To put the wind speeds into perspective, the fastest winds ever observed in our solar system are on Neptune, at a speed of 1,800 kilometers per hour (1,120 miles per hour). Earth's jet stream winds reach speeds of over 442 kilometers per hour in the upper atmosphere, but these are significantly slower than those on WASP-127b, according to The Independent.
Due to its close orbit, WASP-127b experiences temperatures of up to 1,127 degrees Celsius (1,400 kelvins). This extreme temperature causes one side of the planet to always face the scorching host star, resulting in a permanent day side, while the other side remains in darkness, reported The Independent.
Since its discovery in 2016, WASP-127b's oddity has made it a favorite target for study, with astronomers investigating its extreme weather conditions and climate.
To better understand the planet's extreme atmospheric conditions, the team observed that a part of WASP-127b's atmosphere is moving toward Earth at high speed, while another part is moving away at the same speed, indicating the presence of a powerful jet stream encircling the planet.
"Answering the question of what drives these intense winds is challenging, as several factors influence wind patterns in exoplanet atmospheres," said David Kott, according to The Independent. "The primary source of energy for these winds is the intense irradiation from the host star, but other factors also play an important role in shaping the wind patterns."
Furthermore, the atmosphere of WASP-127b lacks a solid surface; it consists only of increasingly dense gas layers under greater pressure as one moves inward, similar to other gas giants, Terra noted.
With a diameter 30% larger than Jupiter but only 16% of Jupiter's mass, WASP-127b is one of the least dense—more inflated—planets ever observed, reported The Independent.
The study was published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
With the upcoming completion of ESO's Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) in Chile, researchers anticipate being able to delve even deeper into the weather patterns of distant planets. "This means that we can likely resolve even finer details of the wind patterns and expand this research to smaller, rocky planets," Nortmann said.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.