Picture a world where metal turns to vapor and winds blow at unprecedented speeds in space. Scientists have found exactly that on a distant planet called WASP-121b, located 900 light-years from Earth. Using powerful telescopes in Chile, researchers have created the first-ever 3D map of this planet’s atmosphere. What they found surprised even the experts. The planet’s winds reach speeds of 70,000 kilometers per hour – making them the fastest winds ever recorded on any planet. “This planet’s atmosphere behaves in ways that challenge our understanding of how weather works,” says Julia Victoria Seidel, who led the research at the … Continue reading WASP-121b: 96,480 km/h Winds, Vaporized Metals, and Escaping Hydrogen in 3D Atmospheric Map