This planet, HD 189733b, is the first exoplanet to have its color confirmed. We now know it is a deep, dark blue from a technique called secondary eclipse that scientists used to determine its albedo. As the planet was just about to finish transiting its host star relative to us, scientists measured light emission wavelengths and compared them to those of the star alone. It revealed a deep blue color “quite distinct from the atmosphere colors seen in our solar system.” Scientific American.
However, unlike the Earth and its blue oceans, the coloration of this planet, which lies 63 light years away from Earth, is due to clouds laced with silicate particles. This planet is a hot Jupiter, orbiting its host star in 2.2 days, tidally locking one side of it to be forever in darkness and the other forever in light. The temperature would thus be an average of 1,000 degrees Celsius, based on observations, and a temperature difference between near and far sides of 260 Celsius. This could fuel winds up to 8,700 kph littered with glass. Silicates condense at temperatures above 1300 Celsius, so this planet likely has ripping winds with shards of glass embedded in it. This example shows just how varied and extreme worlds can be in the universe. Nature sometimes stretches the human imagination and renders science fact more strange than science fantasy. Glass Rain.
Learning about the Solar System One Step at a Time 
3 responses to “A World Where It Rains Glass”
This post made me realize how lucky we are with Earth! Why it made me realize this is because as I was doing my own research for my blog about exoplanets, I notices how many different factors there are when observing a world. It is very interesting that we have just the right factors for life here on Earth like, imagine if it rained glass here?? Yikes.
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It’s hard to think of a planet with a more hostile environment than a 1000 degree gas giant which rains shards of glass. The blue color must be beautiful to see in person, though. I wonder if people will ever get to see an exoplanet in person. Maybe it’s possible with some of the closer star systems, it’s a shame they don’t have any planets made of glass.
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Awesome post! This planet is stunning, and I love that you can find a planet out there that does basically anything! While I definitely wouldn’t want to be caught in a high wind glass shard storm, I bet it looks pretty cool.
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