Astronomers have identified Tylos, an Earth-size exoplanet situated 900 light-years away in the Puppis constellation. Tylos experiences extreme temperature differences due to tidal locking, having one scorching hemisphere and another in perpetual darkness. Using observational data from the Very Large Telescope's ESPRESSO instrument, researchers analyzed Tylos's atmospheric composition and discovered an unprecedented climate pattern. A jet stream circulates around the planet's equator, while another atmospheric flow transfers gas from the planet’s hot side to its cold side. These findings help enhance understanding of energy distribution and circulation in alien atmospheres.
What we found was surprising: A jet stream rotates material around the planet's equator, while a separate flow at lower levels of the atmosphere moves gas from the hot side to the cooler side. This kind of climate has never been seen before on any planet, said Julia Victoria Seidel of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Chile, as well as the Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur in France.
One side is always facing the star, it is always scorching, while the exoplanet's other side is significantly colder. Those extreme temperature contrasts make it challenging to figure out how energy is distributed in the atmospheric system.
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