For the first time, scientists discover the glory effect on worlds outside our solar system

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Astronomers have discovered for the first time what they believe is a rainbow-like phenomenon occurring on an extrasolar planet, which could reveal new insights about alien worlds.

Observations by the European Space Agency’s Cheops Space Telescope (or the Exoplanet Signature Satellite) found that WASP-76b is an ultra-hot exoplanet 637 light-years away from Earth and has a radiant effect.

The effect, which is common on Earth and consists of concentric rings of colored light, occurs when light reflects from clouds made of uniform material.

Beyond Earth, the Glory Effect had only been seen on Venus, until Cheops and other missions received an extremely weak signal that it was occurring in the atmosphere of extremely hot WASP-76b. Based on the signals detected by Cheops, astronomers believe that the atmospheric phenomenon is directed toward Earth.

Researchers reported details of the observation on April 5 in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

Olivier Demangeon, the study’s lead author and astronomer at the Portuguese Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences, said in a statement that the glow had never been seen before outside our solar system. There’s a reason for that, because it requires very specific conditions. First, you need atmospheric particles that are nearly perfectly spherical, completely uniform and stable enough for long-term observation. Planets near a star need to shine directly upon it, and observers here at Khufu are pointed in exactly the right direction.

a wild, hot planet

WASP-76b has intrigued astronomers since its discovery in 2013.

The exoplanet orbits its host star closely and produces intense heat and radiation The amount of radiation received from this sun-like star is more than 4,000 times the amount of radiation that Earth receives from the sun, causing WASP-76b to expand to a size that is nearly twice the size of Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system.

The planet is tidally locked to its star, meaning the side known as the day always faces the star, while the other side of the planet is always at night.

WASP-76B’s daytime temperatures reached 4,352 degrees Fahrenheit (2,400 degrees Celsius). Elements that normally form rocks on Earth melt and evaporate during the day, then condense and form clouds that release a rain of molten iron at night.

Astronomers decided to focus a number of observatories, including Cheops, the Hubble Space Telescope, the now-retired Spitzer Space Telescope and NASA’s planet-hunting TESS mission, to study what appears to be an imbalance in WASP-76b’s orbit. of light.

Combined data from Cheops and TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) suggest that this anomaly may be due to something interesting happening in the atmosphere above the sun.

Cheops captured data on the planet WASP-76b as it passed in front of its star, making 23 observations over three years.

When astronomers looked at the data, they noticed an unusual increase in light from Earth’s eastern light-dark boundary, or the boundary between day and night. At the same time, less light is released from the western light-dark boundary.

This is the first time such a dramatic change has been detected in the brightness of an exoplanet and its phase curve, de Manjian said. This discovery led us to speculate that this unexpected luminescence may be caused by the glory effect of strong, localized and anisotropic (direction-dependent) reflections.

Demanjian said he was excited to be involved in the first detection of this type of light from an exoplanet.

It’s a special feeling, a special sense of satisfaction that doesn’t happen every day, he said.

The colorful light of the alien world

Glory and rainbow are not the same thing. A rainbow occurs when light bends as it passes successively through two media of different densities, such as air to water. When light bends, it breaks into different colors, forming an arc-shaped rainbow.

But when light passes through the narrow opening and bends, it creates a glowing effect, creating colorful, patterned rings.

If astronomers do see the glory effect on WASP-76b, it would mean the planet has persistent clouds composed of perfectly spherical water droplets, or clouds that are constantly replenished. Regardless, the presence of such clouds suggests that the planet’s atmosphere has a stable temperature.

Exactly what’s in WASP-76b’s clouds remains a mystery, but it could be iron, as this element has been previously detected in the planet’s clouds.

Matthew Standing, a researcher at the European Space Agency who studies exoplanets, said in the statement that it is important to remember that the scale of what we are witnessing is mind-boggling. This study did not involve standing.

Standing said WASP-76b is a hot gas giant hundreds of light-years away where it could rain molten iron. Despite the chaos, (researchers) appear to have discovered potential signs of brilliance. This is an extremely weak signal.

Researchers say that if astronomers can observe weak signals from phenomena such as brilliance hundreds of light-years away, it may be possible to detect the presence of sunlight reflected by extraterrestrial water bodies in the future.

Theresa Lueftinger, project scientist for ESA’s Ariel mission, said in a statement that further evidence is needed to conclusively prove that this fascinating extra light is a rare honor. She was not involved in the study.

Ariel (Atmospheric Remote Sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large Survey) is expected to launch in 2029 to study the atmospheres of a large number of diverse exoplanets.

Lueftinger said she believes the James Webb Space Telescope or Ariel might be able to help prove the existence of the glory effect on WASP-76b.

We may even be able to detect more brilliant colors emitted by other exoplanets, she said.

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