Planetary Jewel

Clouds made of the mineral that makes up rubies and sapphires may swirl through the blazing hot atmosphere of HAT-P-7b, a giant planet in another star system. The planet and its star are only a few million miles apart, and the planet is locked so that the same hemisphere always faces its star. That makes HAT P-7b extremely hot, and its atmosphere dynamic. Clouds observed at the top of the atmosphere, and visualized in this artist's concept, probably are made of solid particles, which rain toward the surface, creating a shower of gems on a distant world. [Mark Garlick/University of Warwick]