Heaviest Element Yet Detected in an Exoplanet Atmosphere
Artist’s impression of an ultra-hot Jupiter transiting its starUtilizing the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT), astronomers have spotted the heaviest element ever found in an exoplanet atmosphere-- barium.They were surprised to find barium at high altitudes in the atmospheres of the ultra-hot gas giants WASP-76 b and WASP-121 b-- two...