New data from missione CHEOPS, of the European Space Agency (ESA), have recently led to the discovery of an incredible incandescent planet; covered by reflective metallic clouds, they make it thebrightest exoplanet ever found.
After the Moon, the brightest celestial body in our Solar System is Venus. Its thick layer of clouds is in fact capable of reflecting 75% of sunlight. But now, for the first time, astronomers have managed to find a worthy contender: l’esopianeta LTT9779 b.
Details received from the CHEOPS mission (launched in 2019 for the investigation of exoplanets) have revealed that this surprising celestial body it can reflect as much as 80% of the light from its host star.
The exoplanet is about the size of Neptune, which has led astronomers to define it the largest space “mirror”. that we know. The high reflectivity is mainly due to its metal clouds, formed by silicates and other metallic materials such as titanium. “Imagine a fiery world, close to its star, with heavy clouds from which drops of titanium rain down,” commented James Jenkins, astronomer and co-author of the study.
The amount of light that is reflected by an object is calledalbedo“; in most of the planets this characteristic is very low, due to the presence of a light-absorbing atmosphere, or due to the dark surface (by the way, a great mystery about the earth’s albedo has been solved recently).
The albedo of planet LTT9779 b came as quite a surprise to astronomers, especially since the side facing the star reaches 2000°C. Its reflectivity, coupled with its ability to form clouds despite extreme temperatures, make it one of the most unique and interesting exoplanets ever found.