Ehrenreich and his team studied Wasp-76b and
its extreme climate using a new instrument on
the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large
Telescope in Chile.
While vaporized iron previously has been
detected at an even hotter, more distant
Jupiterlike world, it’s believed to remain in a
gaseous state around that entire planet, Lovis
said. At Wasp-76b, this is the first time iron
condensation has been seen, he said.
There’s no telling whether it’s a steady drizzle or
downpour, or what else might be raining down
besides iron. But you’d need a sturdy umbrella
— preferably made of a metal that melts at
much higher temperatures, Lovis said.
In a fun poster designed by Swiss graphic
novelist Frederik Peeters for the research team, a
dancing astronaut holds up an umbrella in front
of an orange waterfall-like deluge.
“Singin’ in the Iron Rain,” the poster reads. “An
evening on WASP-76B.”