Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Raging Storm Detected on Faraway World : Discovery News


"Think your weather is bad? Try living on HD 209458b, a Jupiter-like world orbiting a star 150 light-years away, where, in addition to searing temperatures, a killer wind blasts through the atmosphere at speeds up to 6,200 miles per hour.

The uber-storm stems from the planet's blindingly close and rotationally synched orbit around its parent star. Located about eight times closer to its sun than Mercury is to ours, the planet reaches about 1,000 degrees Celsius, or 1,832 degrees Fahrenheit, on its sun-facing side -- hot enough to melt brass.

The planet's perpetual night side is much cooler, an imbalance that keeps gases in the atmosphere constantly moving."

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