Scientists detect quartz particles in an exoplanet in major breakthrough

New Delhi, India

Scientists for the very first time have detected quartz particles within the atmosphere of an exoplanet. The groundbreaking discovery was made by astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope.

Quartz particles are found in abundance on Earth, the moon and other bodies of the Milky Way galaxy. Silicate particles have earlier been detected in exoplanets but they are magnesium-based, not quartz. 

“We fully expected to see magnesium silicates,” said an author of the study published Monday in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, Hannah Wakeford.

“But what we’re seeing instead are likely the building blocks of those, the tiny ‘seed’ particles needed to form the larger silicate grains we detect in cooler exoplanets and brown dwarfs,” he added.

About the exoplanet

The exoplanet here in question is known as WASP-17b, a gas giant located 1,300 light-years away from Earth and first discovered in 2009.

The planet is extremely hot and is tidally locked to its star. This means that while one side of the planet experiences searing temperatures, the permanent dark side remains chilling cool.

According to David Grant, the lead study author, “WASP-17 b is extremely hot — around 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit (1,500 degrees Celsius) — and the pressure where the quartz crystals form high in the atmosphere is only about one-thousandth of what we experience on Earth’s surface.”

How scientists discovered quartz at WASP-17b?

A team of scientists made the discovery during a 10-hour window, as the exoplanet crossed in front of its star and allowed the experts to get a filtered view of the starlight.

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The quartz is hexagonal in shape, but of size equal to only “one-millionth of a centimetre — so small that 10,000 of the grains could fit side by side across a human hair,” says the study.

Why the research is important?

The study allows the scientific community to have a better understanding of the atmospheres, environmental conditions and weather on planets outside of our solar system.

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“If we only consider the oxygen that is in these gases, and neglect to include all of the oxygen locked up in minerals like quartz, we will significantly underestimate the total abundance,” Wakeford said. 

“These beautiful silica crystals tell us about the inventory of different materials and how they all come together to shape the environment of this planet,” he says further.

(With inputs from agencies)