Space crime - metallic raining exoplanet WASP-76b suspected of consuming other worlds

We recently wrote about the exoplanet WASP-76b. Scientists discovered rocky vapour on the planet. Now the planet is back in the spotlight.

Here's What We Know

Astronomers have been able to detect about a dozen separate elements on the planet. WASP-76b contains vanadium oxide, iron, calcium, chromium, nickel, lithium, hydrogen, manganese, sodium, barium, potassium, magnesium, and nitrogen. However, the researchers found no traces of aluminium or titanium.

The presence of magnesium, chromium and nickel has especially attracted the attention of scientists. Astrophysicists believe these elements should not exist on the planet under study. The assumption is that they appeared here as WASP-76b absorbed a smaller planet with a chemical composition similar to that of Mercury.

There is a possibility that the study of WASP-76b will help scientists unravel the mystery of the formation of gas planets. At the moment, they are thought to expand from above, like stars, whose matter is compacted by gravity. In comparison, rocky planets grow from below as matter builds up around the core like a snowball.

WASP-76b is located in the constellation Pisces, 634 light years from Earth. The planet is known for its metallic rains. These arise because temperatures reach 2,400 degrees Celsius, causing metals to vaporize and then rain down.

Source: Science Alert
Image: Ilhar Digital