Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Exoplanet Has Showers of Pebbles

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the gonna-need-a-thicker-umbrella dept.

mmmscience writes "The newly-discovered exoplanet COROT-7b has an unusual form of precipitation: rocks. Because it orbits so close to its sun, the temperature on its sun-facing side is around 4220 degrees Fahrenheit. That's hot enough for rocks to vaporize — not unlike water evaporating on Earth. And, like Earth, when the vapor cools in the upper atmosphere, it forms clouds and begins to rain. But instead of water, COROT-7b gets a shower of pebbles."

2 of 341 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Rock Rainbows? by spun · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    To this, let me just "add" that "overuse" of "quotation marks" is "annoying." I can almost "picture" you making the "air quotes" with your "fingers."

    --
    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  2. Re:Wow by EvilBudMan · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I think Communism is still alive and kicking.