There are rains of iron and rubies on this hot planet, astonishing astronomers with their findings.

Astronomers utilized the Gemini South ground telescope to study a hot, large gas giant known as WASP-121b, where the climate is so extreme that it experiences rain made of iron, rubies, and sapphires. The results indicate that this planet may have formed closer to its star than previously thought, challenging existing theories of planet formation. The study has been published in The Astronomical Journal, as reported by Space.

Beyond our Solar System, astronomers have discovered over 5,000 planets. Many of these worlds belong to the class of hot Jupiters. These are planets that are larger than Jupiter and are situated very close to their stars.

It is believed that hot Jupiters form farther from their stars, roughly at the same distance as Jupiter and Saturn in our Solar System, and then migrate inward. The new research on the planet WASP-121b, which is a hot Jupiter, calls into question the existing theories.

The planet WASP-121b is located approximately 858 light-years away from us, with a mass 1.2 times greater and a size 1.9 times larger than Jupiter. WASP-121b is so close to its star that a year there lasts only 1.3 Earth days. Additionally, the planet is tidally locked, always showing the same side to its star.

On the side of the planet facing the star, temperatures reach about 2,500 degrees Celsius. This causes metals to vaporize and rise into the atmosphere. Subsequently, winds blowing at speeds of 17,700 km/h transport these metals to the other side of the planet, where they cool and fall as rain made of iron, rubies, and sapphires.

Theories suggest that WASP-121b should have formed farther out in the protoplanetary disk that once surrounded its star and then migrated inward, but new data does not support this.

Astronomers can search for signs of chemical elements on planets and their atmospheres and determine the ratio of rocky material to icy gaseous material that was present at the planet's birth. This should indicate how far from the star the planet formed.

Astronomers were able to determine the ratio of rocky to icy material on WASP-121b, which was particularly high. This suggests that during its early formation, the planet could have accumulated a significant amount of rocky material. This could imply that the planet originated in a region of the protoplanetary disk that was too hot for ice to condense. This came as a surprise to scientists, as it is generally believed that gas giants need solid ice to form.

The authors of the study suggest that it may be necessary to reconsider models of planet formation.