Produced by: Manoj Kumar
LTT 9779 b is an ultra-hot Neptune, orbiting its star in less than a day, yet still wrapped in clouds—a rare survivor in the “hot Neptune desert.”
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Despite extreme heat, LTT 9779 b holds reflective silicate clouds, defying expectations that its atmosphere should have been stripped away long ago.
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Finding clouds on this planet is like discovering ice in a furnace—a paradox that reshapes planetary science and challenges old models.
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Thanks to its shiny cloud tops, LTT 9779 b is one of the brightest exoplanets ever observed, reflecting vast amounts of starlight back into space.
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The planet is tidally locked, so one side boils under constant daylight, while the other side is shrouded in cooler clouds, creating dramatic temperature extremes.
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Powerful, unknown winds whip across the planet, trying to balance out the heat—redistributing gases and clouds in ways unseen in our solar system.
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Using James Webb Space Telescope, scientists detected water vapor and mapped heat and light patterns, revealing alien weather systems in action.
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Studying how clouds shield the planet from deadly radiation could unlock secrets about how other exoplanets survive harsh stellar environments.
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LTT 9779 b may be the first of a new class of extreme exoplanets, forcing scientists to rethink how planets form, evolve, and endure.
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