Welcome To Tylos, A Planet 'Out Of Science Fiction,' Scientists Say

ByJamie Carter, Senior Contributor. Jamie Carter is an award-winning reporter who covers the night sky.

Feb 19, 2025, 06:00am EST



Tylos (or WASP-121b) is a gaseous, giant exoplanet located some 900 light-years away in the ... [+]ESO/M. KORNMESSER


Astronomers have used four massive telescopes in Chile to look into a planet's atmosphere beyond the solar system — and found extreme weather unlike anything in the solar system.

Mapping the structure of an alien planet’s atmosphere for the first time, researchers using the four huge telescopes at the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope, WASP-121b — also known as Tylos — discovered hurricane-force winds more potent than any in the solar system carrying iron and titanium.

“This planet’s atmosphere behaves in ways that challenge our understanding of how weather works — not just on Earth, but on all planets,” said Julia Victoria Seidel, a researcher at the European Southern Observatory and lead author of a study published in Nature. “It feels like something out of science fiction.

Tylos: Where It Is And What It’s Like

Tylos is not like Earth. About 900 light-years away in the constellation Puppis (only visible from the Southern Hemisphere), it’s categorized as a “hot Jupiter,” meaning it’s a gas giant planet — like Jupiter and Saturn — and about the same size. Hot Jupiters are a common type of planet in the Milky Way, it appears, and like most of them, Tylos orbits very close to its host star.

It takes just 30 hours to orbit its star. Not only that but it’s tidally locked to its star — just like the moon is to Earth — so it has two very distinctive sides. Its star-facing dayside is scorching, while its nightside is much cooler. That has helped create a crazy weather system with vicious winds.



The four 8.2-metre Unit Telescopes at the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) during observations. ESO/S. BRUNIER

More:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2025/02/19/welcome-to-tylos-a-planet-out-of-science-fiction-scientists-say/