Wasp- 107b

November 21, 2023

NASA’s James Webb space telescope has revealed a planet called Wasp-107b where specks of sand fall as rain.

A central aim of the James Webb space telescope is to analyse the atmospheres of distant planets and search for bio-signature gases that could indicate the presence of life.

The planet, Wasp-107b, lies 200 light years away in the Virgo constellation.
It is very large but very light, earning it the nickname the “candy floss” planet.
It features silicate sand clouds and rain, scorching temperatures, raging winds and the distinct burnt-matches scent of sulphur dioxide.
The planet was discovered in 2017.
Wasp-107b is similar in mass to Neptune but almost the size of Jupiter, and its vast, diffuse nature allows the James Webb telescope to peer deep into its atmosphere.
The latest observations reveal evidence of water vapour and sulphur dioxide, which would give the atmosphere a smell of burnt matches.
It is also the first time the chemical composition of clouds on another planet has been identified – in this case, silicate sand.
The planet’s atmosphere would feature something akin to Earth’s water cycle, but instead with sand cycling between solid and gaseous states.