@centyone Astronomers have found winds on a distant world that blow at a phenomenal 5.6 miles per second (9 kilometers per second), or 20,500 miles per hour (33,000 kilometers per hour) — the fastest winds ever measured on a planet.

The faraway world, a gas giant called WASP-127b that was discovered in 2016, orbits a star 520 light-years from Earth. It zips around its host star in just four days, following a slightly skewed orbit. The exoplanet is also likely tidally locked to its star the same way the moon is to Earth — but perhaps its biggest eccentric trait is that it is slightly larger than Jupiter, yet only 16% as massive, making it one of the puffiest planets known to astronomers. So, its heavily inflated nature enables eager astronomers to look through the upper layers of its atmosphere.

Passionate about astrology and celestial events.