Astronomers spot 'Tattooine' world with two suns and a raging sandstorm
Astronomers have spotted a planet with a permanent sandstorm orbiting not one but two suns – just like the planet Tattooine in Star Wars.
Planet VHS 1256 b is about 40 light-years away and orbits two stars over a 10,000-year period.
The sandstorm rages constantly, with material rising, mixing and moving during its 22-hour day, bringing hotter material up and pushing colder material down.
It was located by researchers using Nasa's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) that is orbiting in space.
Scientist Brittany Miles, of the University of Arizona, said: "VHS 1256 b is about four times farther from its stars than Pluto is from our Sun, which makes it a great target for the James Webb Telescope.
'"That means the planets light is not mixed with light from its stars."
The distance from its stars has helped astronomers take detailed measurements of the planet's atmosphere.
Read more: What are fast radio bursts, and why do they look like aliens?
Higher up in its atmosphere, where the silicate clouds are churning, temperatures reach 830 degrees Celsius.
The JWST detected larger and smaller silicate dust grains within those clouds.
Beth Biller, of the University of Edinburgh, said: "The smaller silicate grains in its atmosphere may be more like tiny particles as in smoke.
"The larger grains might be more like very hot, very small sand particles."
One reason the skies are so turbulent is the planet's age. In astronomical terms, it is pretty young – only 150 million years have passed since it formed.
The planet’s heat stems from the recent formation process, and it will continue to change and cool over billions of years.
Elisabeth Matthews, from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) in Heidelberg, Germany, said: "We've isolated silicates, but better understanding which grain sizes and shapes match specific types of clouds is going to take a lot of additional work.
"This is not the final word on this planet – it is only the beginning of a large-scale modelling effort to understand JWST's complex data."
Read more: Telescope detects 100 mysterious radio signals
The team came to these conclusions by analysing data known as spectra.
A spectrum is a rainbow-like display of light or, as in this case, infrared radiation, splitting it into the colours of which it is composed.
Two instruments aboard the JWST, the Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) and the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), gathered those spectra for this investigation.
Since the planet revolves around the stars at such a great distance, the researchers could observe it directly rather than using the usual transit technique where a planet is 'seen' as it passes in front of its star.
What might become of this planet billions of years from now? Since it is so far from its stars, it will become colder over time, and its skies may transition from cloudy to clear.
Watch: What to look for in the night sky this April
