Astronomers, using the ground-based VLT telescope, have studied a massive gas giant known as WASP-127b. This planet was discovered 9 years ago and is located approximately 500 light-years away from us. According to a study published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, wind speeds on this planet reach up to 33,000 km/h. No other planet in the Solar System has such fast winds, reports Phys.
Scientists state that they have never observed winds of such speed, with supersonic velocity, on any known planets beyond the Solar System. On WASP-127b, winds near the equator blow at 33,000 km/h, making it the fastest weather phenomenon found on any known worlds.
In comparison, the fastest wind recorded on any planet in the Solar System was found on Neptune, with a speed of 1,800 km/h.
WASP-127b, which is a gas giant, is slightly larger than Jupiter, but its mass is only a fraction of the largest planet in the Solar System. This means that this world has a very low density. According to scientists, the speed of the supersonic wind on WASP-127b is nearly 6 times greater than the planet's rotational speed.
Researchers created a weather map and atmospheric composition of the gas giant by analyzing the light from its host star as it passes through the upper layers of the planet's atmosphere.
The study revealed that the atmosphere of WASP-127b contains water vapor and carbon monoxide molecules. Scientists also discovered temperature variations in different parts of the planet and found that the poles of WASP-127b are significantly colder than the rest of the gas giant.
According to astronomers, this planet exhibits similarly complex weather conditions as those found on Earth and other planets in the Solar System.