Scientists Find Giant Alien Planet With Clouds Made of Vaporized Jewels

A huge alien planet recently discovered by scientists has powerful winds made of sparkling, gem-bright clouds. In addition to the vaporized jewels making up the clouds, the planet is said to have the highest temperatures. The study of the planet was made possible through NASA's Kepler space telescope.

The alien planet named HAT-P-7b was observed from 2009 to 2013. According to studies made, the planet is 40 percent bigger than Jupiter and is approximately 1,040 light-years away from planet Earth. Every 2.2 days, the planet completes one lap around a host star. Also notable about planet HAT-P-7b is its temperature which hovers around 4,180 degrees Celsius.

Unlike the clouds here on earth, the clouds on the said planet are composed of corundum, a mineral that forms rubies and sapphires. However, what was remarkable about the planet was the weather, which is the first among gas planets outside of the solar system.

"This is the first detection of weather on a gas giant planet outside the solar system," stated David Armstrong of the University of Warwick in England, the study lead author, adding, "These results show that strong winds circle the planet, transporting clouds from the night side to the day side. The winds change speed dramatically, leading to huge cloud formations building up, then dying away."

The amount of light reflected from the planet over time showed evidence of an atmosphere around the planet, which was detected by the Kepler space telescope. Research made by the astronomers at the University of Warwick have been published on the December 12, 2016 peer reviewed journal, Nature Astronomy.

Research on the exoplanet hopes to lead to more studies of the said giant alien planet. Astrophysicists are certainly exploring the weather of planets way beyond the solar system. As for the giant alien planet, HAT-P-7b, it has clouds made up of minerals that from sapphires and rubies, which when viewed up close would be visually stunning.