Kuze kube manje, imihlaba eshisayo yamaplanethi angaphandle iye yachazwa njengeyindilinga. Kodwa-ke, ucwaningo olusha lubonisa ukuthi imimoya yawo ifana kakhulu nendilinga ephikisiwe kunendilinga ephelele. Ucwaningo, oluholwa ngokubambisana yiCornell University e-USA kanye neYunivesithi yaseBristol e-UK, lulokuqala ukusebenzisa indlela eyathuthukiswa eBristol University ebizwa ngokuthi "izintambo zokudlulisa." Le ndlela, eyathuthukiswa ososayensi bezinkanyezi uDkt. David Grant noDkt. Hannah Wakeford, isebenzisa idatha evela ku-James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) ukuze ichaze imidwebo engajwayelekile yeplanethi okokuqala.
Imiphumela, eyanyatheliswa kumagazini i-Nature Astronomy, ikhombisa ukuthi isimo sezulu se-exoplanet eshisayo ye-Jupiter i-WASP-17b siyindilinga kodwa ayilingani, kanti olunye uhlangothi lunwetshiwe. Ubukhulu obunjalo buveza ukuthi ukushisa okukhulu kanye nemimoya evunguzayo kuthinta kanjani isimo sezulu seplanethi, esizungeza inkanyezi cishe iminyaka yokukhanya eyi-1.300 ukusuka eMhlabeni. Umbhali oholayo uDkt. Lili Alderson, i-Klarman Postdoctoral Fellow eCornell University, waqala ucwaningo eNyuvesi yaseBristol, lapho athola khona i-PhD yakhe kwi-physics. "Lokhu kuwubufakazi bokuthi amaplanethi empeleni ayizinto ezinezilinganiso ezintathu nokuthi lokho esikubikezelayo kwenzeka ngempela njengoba ezungeza inkanyezi yawo. Ukweqa izivivinyo zokubala nokukubona empeleni kungenye indaba," kusho u-Alderson.
Okutholakele ngokwakheka kwamakhemikhali komkhathi we-WASP-17b kanye nokwehluka kwezinga lokushisa kusuka enkabazwe kuya ezimpondweni, kanye naphakathi kwezinhlangothi ezihlala njalo zasemini nasebusuku, kuyahambisana nezibikezelo zemfundiso kanye namanye amasu okulingisa. Ndawonye, zinikeza enye yemibono ephelele kakhulu yesimo sezulu se-exoplanet futhi zinikeza isilinganiso esibalulekile sokuqhathanisa nama-exoplanet angaphezu kuka-6.000 aqinisekisiwe kuze kube manje. Umbhali-mbhali uDkt. Hannah Wakeford, uSolwazi Ohlangene we-Astrophysics eNyuvesi yaseBristol, uchaze: "Amaplanethi ayashintshashintsha, isimo sawo siyinkimbinkimbi futhi siyaxakaxaka. Iqiniso lokuthi zonke lezi zinombolo zahlangana ukuze zisinike lesi sithombe esihlelekile nesiguquguqukayo salo mhlaba omkhulu oqhele ngeminyaka yokukhanya eyi-1.000 lalijabulisa ngempela."
Ucwaningo lwangaphambilini lusebenzise ukuzwela okumangalisayo kwe-JWST kwenqubo ebizwa ngokuthi i-eclipse mapping, elinganisa izinguquko ekukhanyeni njengoba i-exoplanet ishintsha ngemuva kwenkanyezi yayo. Indlela entsha yezintambo zokudlulisa, ebizwa nangokuthi i-transit mapping, ilandelela iplanethi njengoba idlula phambi kwenkanyezi, ithwebula ukwakheka kokukhanya emaphethelweni omkhathi weplanethi, owaziwa ngokuthi i-limb, kusuka kuma-engeli ahlukene. Ngokuphambene nalokho, amamodeli avamile akhipha i-spectrum kuphela njengesilinganiso kulo lonke igatsha. "Esikhundleni sokucabanga ukuthi umkhathi uyindilinga ene-radius efanayo nxazonke, inqubo yethu isivumela ukuthi sikhiphe amabanga ahlukene ukusuka enkabeni kuya emaphethelweni eplanethi," kusho u-Alderson. "Singazungeza umngcele. Ngakho-ke sisuke ekuqondeni indandatho saya ekuqondeni ukuthi amagugu akuphi endandatho, uma singasho."
Abacwaningi bathole "igugu" elinjalo lapho ithiyori namamodeli angaphambilini abikezela khona nge-WASP-17b: "ohlangothini lwakusihlwa" lwe-equator yayo. Lapho, imisinga yomoya ithutha ukushisa kusuka ohlangothini losuku olukhanyayo njalo iye ohlangothini lobusuku olunethunzi njalo, ifutha umoya uma kuqhathaniswa "nohlangothi lwasekuseni" olupholile lwe-equator. Imephu yezokuthutha iqinisekisile ezinye izici ze-WASP-17b. U-Alderson wanezela: "Ithiyori ibikezela ukuthi izinhlangothi zasekuseni nezakusihlwa kufanele zibe nomehluko omkhulu wokushisa, kanti i-WASP-17b ifanelana kahle nale mkhuba—cishe njengoba besilindele."
Lokhu kuboniswa okuphumelelayo kwezintambo zokudlulisa ku-WASP-17b kuvula indlela yokumaka abantu abaningi abazongenela ukhetho. Le ndlela iqala ukuhlukanisa izimo phakathi kwezindawo zangaphandle, hhayi nje phakathi kwezinhlangothi zasemini nasebusuku, futhi inikeza isinyathelo sokuqala sokumaka amaphethini afana nesimo sezulu ezimweni zangaphandle. UWakeford uthe, “Ukuba nomodeli wezibalo oqinile kangaka esingawusebenzisa kule datha yanamuhla kuyajabulisa kakhulu. Imiphumela iyisibonakaliso esihle kakhulu sezinguquko ezisebenzayo kulezi zindawo eziningi neziyinkimbinkimbi.”
Ucwaningo luhlaziye idatha eqoqwe njengengxenye ye-JWST Telescope Scientist Deep Reconnaissance of Exoplanet Atmospheres ngokusebenzisa i-Multi-instrument Spectroscopy (TST DREAMS) Guaranteed Time Observations Program. Ixhaswe yi-NASA, i-UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), kanye ne-Klarman Fellowship.
Ukushicilelwa kwangempela:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-026-02986-4
