Astronomers were first mapped the three -dimensional structure of the atmosphere of a planet outside our solar system, looking through the atmosphere of the planet. The discovery, published in Nature magazine, opens the door to detailed studies of other planets.

This is the planet WASP-121B (also known as Tylos), which is about 900 light-years away, in the Puppis constellation. It is an extremely hot giant giants that wanders around the star that hosts it. One side of the planet is hot, as it is always facing the star, while the other is much cooler.

Three-dimensional design of the WASP-121B atmosphere consisting of three layers: iron winds at the bottom, sodium aircraft in the middle section and a upper layer of hydrogen winds. Credit: eso/m. Kornmesser

Combining all four telescopic units of the very large telescope (VLT) of the European Southern Observatory (ESO), scientists have found strong winds carrying chemicals, such as iron and titanium, creating complex weather patterns. A jet stream rotates the material around its equatorial planet. This stream extends to half the planet, gaining speed and violently upset the atmosphere high in the atmosphere as it crosses the warm side of the planet. A separate flow to lower levels of the atmosphere moves gas from the warm side to the colder. This type of climate has never been observed in the past on any planet.

In an accompanying study published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics, the researchers describe that they found the presence of titanium just below the aerosol. This finding was a surprise to them, as previous observations on the planet had shown that this element was absent, possibly because it is deeply hidden in the atmosphere.

It is the first time that astronomers have been able to study the atmosphere of a planet outside our solar system at such a depth and detail.