For the First Time, Toxic Gas Has Been Discovered That Confuses

A planet light 325 years from Earth, 10 times the size of Jupiter, has no water but has an extremely high temperature and year-round carbon monoxide, a deadly gas. That extremely dangerous planet is called WASP-18b.

Key Facts About Wasp-18b

This is the first time researchers have discovered such a planet with a carbon monoxide upper layer.

External planetary simulation WASP-18b.(Photo: NASA.)

Kyle Sheppard of the Goddard Space Flight Center of the US Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the lead author of this study, said that WASP-18b has a composition beyond the knowledge of scientists.

Why Wasp-18b Matters

This discovery could change the understanding of the world about the process of forming atmospheres surrounding planets, opening new doors in our understanding of the physical and chemical processes in gas. alien planet.

WASP-18b is a "hot Jupiter", the giant gas planets rotate so close that the owner should have extremely high temperatures. It only takes 23 hours to complete a spin around the host star.

The scientists discovered WASP-18b when analyzing the data obtained based on the observations of the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes. They claim that the amount of metals (elements heavier than hydrogen and helium) in the atmosphere of WASP-18b are likely to be 300 times greater than any other "hot Jupiter" planet.

When the James Webb telescope is launched into space in 2019, scientists will have a chance to do more research than WASP-18b and many other exoplanets.

The study was published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters on December 1.