Scientists discover a “heavy metal” planet shaped like a football located 900 light-years from Earth. Observations by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope show heavy metals streaming outside our solar system known as WASP-121b. WASP-121b is 10 times hotter than any other planets and is classified as “hot-Jupiter”. Hot Jupiter-sized planets are usually cold enough to reduce heavy elements like magnesium and iron into clouds. However, WASP-121b is circling so dangerously close to its star that its upper atmosphere reaches a beaming 4,600 degrees Fahrenheit.

The atmosphere’s basic elements that can be found in the universe are hydrogen and helium. The atmosphere vanishes once a planet moves closer to its star. The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph was used to observe the ultraviolet light of magnesium and iron attached to the starlight passing through WASP-121b’s atmosphere. David Sing, lead author of the study from Hopkins University says, “Heavy metals have been seen in other hot Jupiters before, but only in the lower atmosphere, so you don’t know if they are escaping or not.” Sing also said, “the hydrogen and helium gas of WASP-121b is streaming, almost like a river, and is dragging these metals with them. It’s a very efficient mechanism for mass loss.”