Using the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists observed a massive dust storm in the atmosphere of VHS 1256 b, a 'super-Jupiter' exoplanet located 40 light-years from Earth.
Although this might sound like Luke Skywalker's home planet of Tatooine, this sandstorm was spotted on a gaseous world up to 20 times the size of Jupiter. Using the James Webb Space Telescope's powerful detectors, scientists observed not only the sandy clouds but also water, methane and carbon dioxide in the planet's atmosphere. The observations were published March 22 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters .
"VHS 1256 b is about four times farther from its stars than Pluto is from our sun, which makes it a great target for Webb," Brittany Miles , an astrophysicist at The University of Arizona and lead author of the new study, said in a statement ."That means the planet's light is not mixed with light from its stars."
The clouds are also incredibly hot: The temperature in that layer of the planet's atmosphere soars to 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit . According to the researchers, the dust storm won't last forever. VHS 1256 b is a relatively young planet — just 150 million years old — which means it will change as it ages. Because it's so far from its host stars, VHS 1256 will cool, and its turbulent atmosphere may clear up, according to the researchers.
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