Diluvio de hierro en un exoplaneta

Un equipo científico internacional liderado por la Universidad de Ginebra y con participación del Centro de Astrobiología (CAB, CSIC-INTA) y del Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, ha descubierto un exoplaneta gigante con temperaturas diurnas capaces de vaporizar el hierro, y que podría condensar en gotas de lluvia en las regiones nocturnas. El hallazgo ha sido posible gracias al nuevo instrumento ESPRESSO instalado en el telescopio VLT del Observatorio Europeo Austral (ESO).

Impresión artística de la atmósfera del planeta WASP-76b. Crédito: ESO

Los investigadores han utilizado el Very Large Telescope (VLT, telescopio muy grande) de ESO situado en Cerro Paranal en el desierto chileno de Atacama para observar el exoplaneta WASP-76b, situado a unos 390 años luz de distancia en la constelación de Piscis. Se trata de un exoplaneta gigante extremadamente caliente, con unas temperaturas diurnas que suben por encima de los 2400°C, lo suficientemente altas como para vaporizar metales como el hierro. Los fuertes vientos trasladan el vapor de hierro hacia las regiones nocturnas, más frías, con temperaturas que disminuyen hasta valores en torno a los 1500°C, que condensan el vapor en gotas que podrían precipitar como lluvia. «Se podría decir que este planeta se vuelve lluvioso por la noche, con la excepción de que llueve hierro», dice David Ehrenreich, investigador de la Universidad de Ginebra y autor principal del estudio publicado hoy en la revista Nature.

WASP-76b no sólo presenta diferencias notables de temperatura entre las caras diurna y nocturna, sino que también tiene una química distinta en ambas regiones, según el nuevo estudio. Utilizando el nuevo instrumento ESPRESSO (Echelle SPectrograph for Rocky Exoplanets and Stable Spectroscopic Observations, Espectógrafo Echelle para exoplanetas rocosos y observaciones espectroscópicas estables) instalado en el VLT, los investigadores identificaron por primera vez variaciones químicas en un exoplaneta gigante. Se ha detectado la firma inequívoca de la presencia de vapor de hierro en la zona del terminador, la frontera del planeta donde se pasa del día a la noche.

El fenómeno observado es debido a que el exoplaneta muestra siempre la misma cara a su estrella anfitriona, permaneciendo en noche perpetua en su cara oculta. Esta situación, conocida como “acoplamiento de marea”, es la misma que se da entre la Luna y la Tierra, y en ella el tiempo que tarda el exoplaneta en girar alrededor de su eje coincide con el tiempo que tarda en recorrer su órbita alrededor de la estrella anfitriona. El exoplaneta WASP-76b recibe miles de veces más radiación de su estrella anfitriona que la Tierra del Sol, lo que provoca que la temperatura en su cara diurna sea tan elevada que las moléculas se separen en átomos, y que metales como el hierro se encuentren en la atmósfera en forma de vapor.

Como señala María Rosa Zapatero Osorio, investigadora del CAB y coordinadora del equipo científico de ESPRESSO, “las observaciones muestran que el vapor de hierro es abundante en la atmósfera de la cara diurna y caliente de WASP-76b. Una parte de ese hierro es inyectada hacia la cara oscura del planeta debido a su rotación y los vientos atmosféricos. Allí, se topa con un ambiente enormemente más fresco, se condensa y precipita”.

El instrumento ESPRESSO fue diseñado originalmente para descubrir exoplanetas similares a la Tierra alrededor de estrellas similares al Sol, sin embargo, ha demostrado ser mucho más versátil. «Lo que tenemos ahora es una forma completamente nueva de rastrear el clima de los exoplanetas más extremos», concluye Ehrenreich.

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