This is a study of an exoplanet. Apparently, a "hot Jupiter" is shorthand for a general classification of planet type.
The planet at the center of the new study, which appears today in Nature Astronomy, is WASP-121b, a massive gas giant nearly twice the size of Jupiter. The planet is an ultrahot Jupiter and was discovered in 2015 orbiting a star about 850 light years from Earth.
Yes a large gas giant but right in close to the star.
There is a bias for finding them since they orbit rapidly
(like our planet Mercury) but block much more light
and we do good with noticing blinky lights
That's what got me too! At first I was picturing a solid piece of iron, floating in the sky, but I'm assuming it's more like a cloud here on earth, except formed by iron vapor instead of water vapor.
Why would a gaseous planet be tidally locked? Obviously a non-homogeneous solid object would settle with it's denser end "downward" toward the star, but I don't see how a gaseous planet would do so.
[+] [-] DoreenMichele|4 years ago|reply
The planet at the center of the new study, which appears today in Nature Astronomy, is WASP-121b, a massive gas giant nearly twice the size of Jupiter. The planet is an ultrahot Jupiter and was discovered in 2015 orbiting a star about 850 light years from Earth.
[+] [-] tejtm|4 years ago|reply
There is a bias for finding them since they orbit rapidly (like our planet Mercury) but block much more light and we do good with noticing blinky lights
[+] [-] jackallis|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bradbot|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dotancohen|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] milliams|4 years ago|reply
What does that mean?