A starless (or, as an Earth equivalent, "sunless") planet might have the most gnarly weather conditions scientists have observed so far, which include riotous storms of molten metal.
"If you think about the Great Red Spot on Jupiter, it would be stormy spots like that," said scientist Beth Biller, one of the leading scientists tracking and observing the stray, drifting planet. While that comparison works for its climate, the same might not be so true for the storm-studded sphere, whose total mass is eight times that of our solar system's biggest planet.
Located around 80 light-years from Earth, PSO J318.5-22 was discovered by science in 2013 with help from the Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System (Pan-Starrs), a "wide-field imaging facility" at the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy; the group chocked up the planet's lack of a centrifugal, starbound orbit to the planet being cannonballed from its parent star's weaker pull.
The reason for the metal monsoons on PSO J318.5-22's surface? Heat, pure and simple. The temperature maintained on the surface of the lost planet clocks in at about 1,100 kelvin (roughly 1,520.33 degrees Fahrenheit) — which is pretty impressive, considering that, without a star, it has no light or outside force to engender its burn factor. Instead, the entire planet is self-sufficient, producing the very same heat that creates its metallic drenchers from an internal source.
What this means is that, considering the conditions, any clouds found on the surface of the planet should be molten and contain liquid metals in contrast to the water found on Earth.
"These are likely hot silicates and iron droplet clouds," added Biller. "This makes Venus look like a nice place."
The molten metal clouds also vary the level of brightness, which can change by a margin of 10 percent within a few hours.
Scientists predict that PSO J318.5-22 is one of myriad wandering, starless planets, and that its oscillating brightness can help astronomers connect this to weather patterns — and in the sense of the bigger picture, some of the foundations in the field of exo-weather.
Via: New Scientist
