Planets bear thousands of billions of lightning every hour and clues about aliens

Experts discovered a number of extremely dense thunder planets, thereby providing some clues about aliens.

Recently, astronomers have found a very strange planet. It is just a little bigger than Earth, but much more dangerous, because every hour that passes it must bear the trillions of lightning strikes.

It is a planet outside the solar system - an exoplanet - called Kepler-10b. The surface of the planet only includes active volcanoes , and that is why the planet's atmosphere is filled with electricity.

Picture 1 of Planets bear thousands of billions of lightning every hour and clues about aliens
Planet Kepler-10b.

More specifically, the study published in arXiv magazine led by Gabriella Hodosan of the University of St Andrews - has watched the phenomenon of thunder occur on some extrasolar planets and some dwarf stars. .

The results show that the more volcanic activity the planet has, the more dense the frequency of thunder occurs. Like Kepler-10b, this planet has no water, but active volcanoes cause the atmosphere to form electrostatic clouds and produce thunder.

Picture 2 of Planets bear thousands of billions of lightning every hour and clues about aliens
There are about 100 million to 2 trillion rays happening every hour here.

Experts have drawn a lot of perspectives on how lightning formed on Kepler-10b, using data from volcanic eruptions of Mount Redoubt (Alaska, USA) and Eyjafjallajokull (Iceland).

Hodosan said: "Assuming that the surface of this planet is covered by active volcanoes, the density of thunder will be very large, like the case of Mount Redoubt. However, if the mountains This does not work at the same time, the density of thunder will be lower, like Mount Eyjafjallajokull ".

However, for Kepler-10b - a planet with almost only volcanic surfaces, experts estimate there will be between 100 million and 2 trillion rays happening every hour here.

Picture 3 of Planets bear thousands of billions of lightning every hour and clues about aliens
Thunder can help form the molecules needed for life.

Experts also track a less explosive planet - HD 189733b . This is a planetarium, almost the same size as Jupiter. The planet also has a much smaller amount of lightning: only 100,000 / h.

Understanding the activity of volcanoes as well as thunder on these planets can give us more clues about life outside of Earth, because thunder can help form the molecules needed for life. .

Discovering a small planet like Earth