HD 189733b: A Blue Marble Planet Where It Rains Super-Hot Glass

Question: Is there a planet in the Universe that experiences glass storms?

Answer: Planet HD 189733b is located 63 light-years away. This “blue marble” alien planet resembles Earth in terms of color, but it’s a very alien world. On this turbulent alien world, the daytime temperature is nearly 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and it possibly rains glass — sideways — in howling, 4,500-mph winds. The cobalt blue color comes not from the reflection of a tropical ocean as it does on Earth, but rather a hazy, blow-torched atmosphere containing high clouds laced with silicate particles. HD 189733b orbits a yellow-orange star, HD 189733. HD 189733b is among a bizarre class of planets called hot Jupiters, which orbit precariously close to their parent stars.

HD 189733b was discovered in 2005. It is only 2.9 million miles from its parent star, so close that it is gravitationally locked. One side always faces the star and the other side is always dark.

MessageToEagle.com

Source:

NASA

Space.com