"James Webb Space Telescope Discovers Quartz Crystals in Exoplanet's Atmosphere"
TL;DR
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has detected quartz crystals in the atmosphere of the exoplanet WASP-17b. The planet, which is incredibly close to its star and has a scorching hot atmosphere, experiences thousand-mile-per-hour winds that carry tiny quartz crystals. This discovery was unexpected, as previous observations had detected more complex magnesium-rich crystals. The presence of quartz suggests that these crystals are the building blocks for larger silicate grains found in cooler exoplanets. The findings were published in Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Topics:top-newsscience-and-astronomy#atmosphere#exoplanet#james-webb-space-telescope#quartz-crystals#science-and-astronomy#wasp-17b
- James Webb Space Telescope detects quartz crystals in an exoplanet's atmosphere Space.com
- Webb Detects Tiny Quartz Crystals in the Clouds of a Hot Gas Giant NASA
- Quartz Showers: Silica Snow Envelops the Fiery Atmosphere of Hot Jupiter Exoplanet SciTechDaily
- Webb spots quartz crystals in clouds of exoplanet WASP-17b European Space Agency
- Webb Detects Tiny Quartz Crystals in Clouds of Hot Gas Giant NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
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