Scientists Say There Is A Planet Where It Rains Glass Sideways

It sits far beyond our solar system, and the weather report there is genuinely terrifying.

Somewhere out in the galaxy there is a world so hot that its skies are thought to hurl molten glass through the air. And because winds there scream at brutal speeds, that glass does not fall gently down. It flies sideways.

This planet hugs its star far tighter than we hug our Sun, which cooks one side to a blistering glow. The temperature difference between the two halves is believed to whip up storms far fiercer than anything on Earth.

Astronomers piece these details together not by visiting, but by watching how starlight dims and shifts as the planet passes in front of its star. From a smudge of light, they reconstruct an entire alien climate.

It is a useful reminder of how strange the universe gets once you leave home. Our own weather can be miserable, but at least the rain is water. Somewhere out there, an umbrella would be the least of your worries.