Hubble Space Telescope Observes Weather Patterns on Exoplanet WASP-121b

The study of the exoplanet's weather patterns could aid in understanding the complexity of exoplanet atmospheres and the search for habitable conditions.

Hubble Space Telescope has observed the weather patterns on exoplanet WASP-121b, which is so close to its star that a year there lasts just 30 hours and its surface temperatures are over 3,000 Kelvins, or 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
The researchers combined four sets of observations made using Hubble to understand how the planet changed over the years.
The researchers produced a video showing the weather patterns they modeled on the planet, thought to be due to huge cyclones in the planet’s atmosphere created by the huge temperature difference between the side of the planet always facing its star and the side facing into space.
Studying exoplanets’ weather is vital to understanding the complexity of exoplanet atmospheres, especially in the search for exoplanets with habitable conditions.
The technique used to study WASP-121b could one day be scaled down to be applied on smaller, rocky exoplanets.