Exoplanet "From Hell" Just Discovered

Rains Liquid Molten Iron

Source:  Image of Planet Raining Molten Iron

Exoplanet WASP-76 B

Some scientists are calling WASP-76 B the exoplanet from Hell.  It was just discovered in another solar system and is therefore an exoplanet.  The exoplanet is so exotic that even the weather conditions are extremely bizarre.  On WASP-76 B it's usually cloudy with a chance of rain.  But the rain drops are hot liquid molten iron that are boiling hot.  European scientists and astronomers just spotted it using the planet hunting instrument EXPRESSO on a huge international telescope based in Chile.  The weather conditions on this exoplanet are so severe there is molten iron rain! It's a unique finding in the Universe. And despite the extremely harsh environment, you have to wonder about the value of the mineral deposits on such a far away frontier in space.

Ultra Hot Gas Giant 640 Light Years From Earth

This very hot exoplanet is 640 light years away from the Earth.  And, it's a big one.  Twice the size of Jupiter which is our solar system's biggest planet.  WASP-76 B is one of the most extreme exoplanets ever discovered in terms of climate and chemistry.  It's part of a family of exoplanets, discovered in recent years, called "Ultra-Hot Gas Giants".

Scorched By the Sun

The exoplanet receives 4,000 times the solar radiation than we do on Earth.  The "sunny side" of the planet heats to 4,350 degrees F which vaporizes any metals present.  Strong winds carry the iron vapor to the exoplanet's cooler side where it condenses into liquid iron rain.  Scientists from the University of Geneva are leading this exploration.  They think WASP-76 B provides a unique living platform to test climate models and to understand extreme atmospheric evolution.