Paul Mollière

In the attic, you find an old, worn suitcase. From the stickers and scratches, you can guess where it's been. Astronomers have long searched for a similar 'sticker' for planets, and thought they found it in carbon monoxide molecules. Ordinary carbon monoxide consists of a carbon-12 atom and an oxygen atom.

WASP-121 b is not just a hot ball. It's a world where iron vaporizes and the sky glows with its own heat. A fresh look at it has revealed what 'ingredients' went into making it. The James Webb Space Telescope has for the first time clearly detected vaporized silicon monoxide in its atmosphere — a refractory substance usually locked inside dust grains.