The 10,000 MPH Iron Winds of WASP-76b

WASP-76b is a bizarre world where planetary weather reaches an extreme unlike anything on Earth. The exoplanet is so close to its star that temperatures become hot enough to vaporize iron on its dayside. Powerful atmospheric winds then transport this iron vapor toward the cooler side of the planet. These winds may reach thousands of miles per hour, creating an incredibly violent atmosphere. As the iron vapor moves into cooler regions, it can condense and potentially fall as iron droplets. The combination of extreme heat, supersonic atmospheric motion, and metallic precipitation makes WASP-76b one of the most fascinating exoplanets known. It shows how dramatically different weather can become on distant worlds. #WASP76bIronWindsIronRainExoplanetSpaceFactsExtremeWeatherAstronomyAstrophysicsDeepSpaceScienceFacts