Vaporized silicate clouds found on a lava planet

Astronomers found that a scorching rocky lava planet once thought to lack an atmosphere is wrapped in a reflective layer of vaporized silicate mineral clouds — the same family of compounds as quartz and sand. The finding challenges previous models of such extreme worlds.

• The planet belongs to the class of lava worlds with extremely hot surfaces
• Its clouds are made of vaporized silicates, the same family as quartz and sand
• The reflective cloud layer explains the planet's unexpectedly high brightness
• The discovery challenges earlier models of lava-planet atmospheres