Water Cycle In Ultrahot Jupiters

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Know About Ultrahot Jupiters And The Amazing Water Cycle Occuring In Them

The advancement in space science and technology is leading to ground breaking research and development in the field of space exploration by different space agencies worldwide. Astrophysicists are always curious to find, observe and study different exoplanets outside our solar system. In April this year, one of the leading space agency NASA launched its Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) system to study different exoplanets beyond our own solar system. Another recent achievement in the search of exoplanet by the leading space agency ISRO which made India in the list of among the top few countries to discover exoplanet beyond our own solar system. Several studies have revealed different types of exoplanets with their own unique characteristics. One new class of exoplanets spreading throughout the universe and increasingly visible to astronomers is known as 'Ultrahot Jupiter'. These immensely hot gaseous giants resemble the planet 'Jupiter' present in our solar system in shape and size but they are situated very close to their parent stars (much closer than Mercury from our sun) making them unbearably hot and thus the class name 'Ultrahot Jupiter'. One of their side face the star permanently thus having extreme weather conditions comprising of continuous sunny, extremely high temperature and no possibility of rainfall. This class of exoplanet show unique atmospheric characteristics than other classes of exoplanet due to lack of most of the necessary molecules. 

Researchers are triggered by the undeniable fact that there is no sign of water vapor in the atmospheres of the ultahot class of planets whereas similar systems which are slightly cooler shows abundance of water vapor in their atmospheres. A new theoretical study based on observations by NASA's Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes coupled with computer simulations have tried to solve the cause of this surprising scenario. They have stated that Ultrahot Jupiters do have atoms of hydrogen and oxygen required to form water vapor already present in its atmosphere. But the intense heat and radiation on the side of the planet facing the star broke apart the water molecules. Though it is difficult to observe the dark side of Ultrahot Jupiters, yet a model has been proposed on the phenomenon going on the dark side based on detail and repeated observations and analysis of the Ultrahot Jupiter known as WASP-121b. The study suggests that immensely heavy planetary winds shifts the broken atoms from the hotter to the dark cooler side where they can recombine to form vapor. This vapor waits till thrown again into the hotter side by the planetary winds where it will be broken apart again. This amazing water cycle occurs in such Ultrahot Jupiter types of planets and notable observation is that water molecule is not the only thing to recycle. Also  molecules of titanium oxide and aluminum oxide recycle in the dark side by forming vapor and raining down in liquid or fluid form. But still Ultrahot Jupiter's behavior are very much complex than their another counterpart known as 'Hot Jupiter'.