Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Astronomers observed unprecedented winds of 33,000 km/h racing around exoplanet WASP-127b's equator.
Lisa Nortmann, lead researcher at the University of Göttingen, identified a high-speed equatorial jet moving simultaneously toward and away from Earth.
Credit: University of Göttingen
WASP-127b, a gas giant 520 light-years away, is larger than Jupiter but far less massive, with unique atmospheric features.
Using ESO's CRIRES+ instrument, researchers revealed complex weather patterns with fast-moving winds and cooler poles.
The planet's atmosphere shows water vapor and carbon monoxide, highlighting a multi-layered climate system.
Orbiting its star every 4.2 Earth days, WASP-127b experiences intense heat, driving its atmospheric complexities.
Representative pic
Neptune's winds reach 1,800 km/h, but WASP-127b’s jet stream dwarfs them, emphasizing its extreme environment.
Ground-based tools like CRIRES+ complement space telescopes like JWST by measuring wind speeds and atmospheric motion.
The upcoming Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) in Chile promises to refine exoplanet studies, uncovering even smaller and more detailed planetary features.
Credit: ESO