A Planet with Two Suns… and Endless Sandstorms!
Meet VHS 1256 b — a mysterious, fiery world located just 70 light-years away, orbiting a pair of stars.
Thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope, we now know this isn’t your typical exoplanet—it sits right on the edge between a giant planet and a brown dwarf.
Temperatures? Around 830°C (1,526°F).
Weather? Non-stop silicate sandstorms raging across its skies.
JWST's powerful instruments detected a mix of methane, carbon monoxide, water, and even signs of carbon dioxide—the most molecules ever detected at once in a single alien atmosphere!
Its skies are chaotic:
Heavy silicate grains sink back down.
Lighter particles ride up.
This vertical dance creates wild brightness swings over its 22-hour day—like watching an alien sunset on fast-forward.
And because VHS 1256 b orbits far from its two stars, its light can be studied in isolation, giving astronomers an unfiltered view of its dynamic, dusty atmosphere.
But the biggest mystery?
Did it form like a planet—or like a star?
We still don’t know.
RESEARCH PAPER:
Brittany E. Miles et al., The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 2023
#JamesWebb #Exoplanets #VHS1256b #AstronomyNews #BrownDwarf #PlanetWithTwoSuns #SpaceWeather
Meet VHS 1256 b — a mysterious, fiery world located just 70 light-years away, orbiting a pair of stars.
Thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope, we now know this isn’t your typical exoplanet—it sits right on the edge between a giant planet and a brown dwarf.
Temperatures? Around 830°C (1,526°F).
Weather? Non-stop silicate sandstorms raging across its skies.
JWST's powerful instruments detected a mix of methane, carbon monoxide, water, and even signs of carbon dioxide—the most molecules ever detected at once in a single alien atmosphere!
Its skies are chaotic:
Heavy silicate grains sink back down.
Lighter particles ride up.
This vertical dance creates wild brightness swings over its 22-hour day—like watching an alien sunset on fast-forward.
And because VHS 1256 b orbits far from its two stars, its light can be studied in isolation, giving astronomers an unfiltered view of its dynamic, dusty atmosphere.
But the biggest mystery?
Did it form like a planet—or like a star?
We still don’t know.
RESEARCH PAPER:
Brittany E. Miles et al., The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 2023
#JamesWebb #Exoplanets #VHS1256b #AstronomyNews #BrownDwarf #PlanetWithTwoSuns #SpaceWeather
A Planet with Two Suns… and Endless Sandstorms!
Meet VHS 1256 b — a mysterious, fiery world located just 70 light-years away, orbiting a pair of stars.
Thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope, we now know this isn’t your typical exoplanet—it sits right on the edge between a giant planet and a brown dwarf.
Temperatures? Around 830°C (1,526°F).
Weather? Non-stop silicate sandstorms raging across its skies.
JWST's powerful instruments detected a mix of methane, carbon monoxide, water, and even signs of carbon dioxide—the most molecules ever detected at once in a single alien atmosphere!
Its skies are chaotic:
Heavy silicate grains sink back down.
Lighter particles ride up.
This vertical dance creates wild brightness swings over its 22-hour day—like watching an alien sunset on fast-forward.
And because VHS 1256 b orbits far from its two stars, its light can be studied in isolation, giving astronomers an unfiltered view of its dynamic, dusty atmosphere.
But the biggest mystery?
Did it form like a planet—or like a star?
We still don’t know.
RESEARCH PAPER:
Brittany E. Miles et al., The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 2023
#JamesWebb #Exoplanets #VHS1256b #AstronomyNews #BrownDwarf #PlanetWithTwoSuns #SpaceWeather
