Tag: Gemini North

Astronomers using the Gemini North telescope, one half of the International Gemini Observatory operated by NSF’s NOIRLab, have detected multiple rock-forming elements in the atmosphere of a Jupiter-sized exoplanet, WASP-76b. The planet is so perilously close to its host star that rock-forming elements — such as magnesium, calcium, and nickel — become vaporized and dispersed throughout its scorching atmosphere. This intriguing chemical profile provides new insights into the formation of planetary systems, including our own.