WASP-121b, an exoplanet located 850 light-years from Earth, has a storm system that is unlike anything that exists on Earth.
The planet is a gas giant with a mass 1.2 times greater than Jupiter. It orbits its star so closely that it takes only 1.3 Earth days to complete one revolution. This proximity also means that WASP-121b is tidally locked, with one side of the planet always facing its star and the other side always facing away.
The side of WASP-121b that faces its star is incredibly hot, with temperatures reaching up to 2,500 degrees Celsius. This is hot enough to vaporize iron, which then condenses into clouds on the cooler side of the planet. These clouds then rain down liquid iron onto the surface.
In 2024, a team of astronomers used the Very Large Telescope in Chile to study WASP-121b's atmosphere. They found that the planet has winds that are so strong that they can carry iron vapor from the hot side of the planet to the cool side. These winds are also responsible for creating the iron clouds that rain down on the surface.
The winds on WASP-121b are so strong that they are like nothing that exists on Earth. They are more like something out of science fiction. The astronomers who made the discovery said that they were "blown away" by the strength of the winds.
The discovery of the violent winds on WASP-121b is a reminder of just how diverse and extreme exoplanets can be. It also shows us that there is still much that we don't know about these distant worlds.