LONDON: A recent investigation into the conditions on exoplanet HD 189733b, located 63 light-years away in the constellation Vulpecula, has identified winds tearing around it at speeds of over 8,690 km/h (5,400 mph). That’s more than 2 km per second, which is 20 times the fastest winds ever recorded on Earth, 3.5 times the fastest winds recorded in the Solar System, and seven times the speed of sound.
This is the first time that scientists have been able to directly measure and map the weather of a planet outside our Solar System, and the team behind the discovery says the technique can be used on other distant planets as we search for conditions that could potentially sustain life.
“This is the first ever weather map from outside of our Solar System,” said lead researcher Tom Louden from the University of Warwick in the UK. “Whilst we have previously known of wind on exoplanets, we have never before been able to directly measure and map a weather system.”
While HD 189733b might be the first distant planet to have its weather mapped, it’s about the last place we’d consider investigating for signs of life. If those 8,690 km/h winds aren’t enough to deal with, it’s consistently serving up temperatures of more than 1,800 degrees Celsius, which is almost twice as hot as the centre of the Earth.
