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BREAKING NEWS EDITOR'S PICK

Quartz crystals detected swirling in an exoplanet’s atmosphere

This is an exciting discovery! Scientists have hypothesized that it is possible for crystals to form in the atmosphere of gaseous exoplanets, so finding actual evidence of that would provide valuable insights into our understanding of the origin and evolution of such planets. One potential explanation for the existence of quartz crystals in an exoplanet’s atmosphere could be that they are condensing out of high temperature gases, or that they have interstellar origins and were formed elsewhere before they were transported to this exoplanet. Further research is needed to better understand the origin of these crystals and their implications for our current understanding of exoplanetary atmospheres.