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Cientistas, incluindo três de Portugal, mapearam a atmosfera de um exoplaneta chamado Tylos. Tylos está a 900 anos-luz da Terra. Este planeta tem temperaturas muito altas, superiores a 2000°C, e completa uma volta em 30 horas. A pesquisa usou um telescópio no Chile e descobriu três camadas atmosféricas diferentes.
Translation
Scientists, including three from Portugal, have mapped the atmosphere of an exoplanet named Tylos. Tylos is located 900 light-years from Earth. This planet has very high temperatures, exceeding 2000°C, and completes one orbit in 30 hours. The research used a telescope in Chile and identified three distinct atmospheric layers.
Exercise: Text comprehension
Question 1: How many layers does Tylos's atmosphere have?
Tylos's atmosphere has three layers.
Question 2: How long does it take for Tylos to complete one orbit?
Tylos completes one orbit in 30 hours.
Exercise: Vocabulary
Read the full story
▌19/02/2025
An international team of astrophysicists, including three from Portugal, has successfully mapped the three-dimensional structure of an exoplanet’s atmosphere for the first time. This pioneering research revealed a distinct and complex climate on the planet known as WASP-121b, or Tylos.
The study, published in the scientific journal Nature, included contributions from Portuguese researchers Nuno Santos, Sérgio Sousa, and Yuri Damasceno, all from the Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences (IA). Tylos is located about 900 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Puppis.
According to Yuri Damasceno, Tylos is part of a category of planets exhibiting some of the highest known temperatures. This gas giant, akin in mass to Jupiter, experiences surface temperatures exceeding 2000ºC. Tylos orbits so closely to its star that it completes a full orbit in just 30 hours. Its unique positioning causes one side of the planet to remain perpetually heated while the opposite side stays dark and significantly cooler.
Unique Climate Found on Exoplanet Tylos (Illustration)
The team employed the Very Large Telescope (VLT), operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Chile, to detect and map the planet's atmospheric layers. The researchers identified three distinct layers in Tylos' atmosphere: a lower layer with iron winds, a middle layer featuring a rapid jet stream transporting sodium, and an upper layer containing hydrogen winds.
Julia Seidel, the study's lead author, explained that the discovery was unexpected, with a jet stream swirling material around the planet's equator and another flow circulating gas from the hot to the cold side of the atmosphere. This atmospheric behaviour is unprecedented in any previously studied planet.
Complementary research published in Astronomy and Astrophysics journal also uncovered titanium beneath the jet streams, a finding that surprised scientists as previous observations had overlooked this element, likely due to its concealment in the planet’s deeper atmospheric layers.
These revelations on Tylos advance potential pathways for more in-depth studies regarding the chemical composition and climatic conditions of other extraterrestrial worlds, as noted by the researchers involved.
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