Artist's impression of the exoplanet WASP-121 b (IMAGE)

Max Planck Institute for Astronomy

Artist's impression of the exoplanet WASP-121 b

Caption

Artist's impression of the exoplanet WASP-121 b. It belongs to the class of hot Jupiters. Due to its proximity to the central star, the planet's rotation is tidally locked to its orbit around it. As a result, one of WASP-121 b's hemispheres always faces the star, heating it to temperatures of up to 2500 degrees Celsius. The night side is always oriented towards cold space, which is why it is 1775 degrees Celsius cooler there.

Credit

Patricia Klein and MPIA

Usage Restrictions

For editorial use only. Embargoed until 8 June, 11:00 CEST / 05:00 ET. Credit: Patricia Klein and MPIA

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