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Health & Science3h 33m ago

New data from the Very Large Telescope suggests the hot Jupiter CoRoT-2 b rotates much slower than other hot Jupiters, explaining its westward winds.

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Pasadena, California

Who
Emily Rauscher, Aurora Kesseli, NASA Exoplanet Science Institute, Lisa Dang
What
New data from the Very Large Telescope suggests the hot Jupiter CoRoT-2 b rotates much slower than other hot Jupiters, explaining its westward winds.
When
Wed, 17 Jun 2026 16:50:00 GMT · 3h 33m ago
Where
Pasadena, California ·
Why
Astronomers have been puzzled by CoRoT-2 b's westward winds, which contradict theoretical predictions for hot Jupiters.
The Frontline Impact

How this affects you

This discovery challenges previous assumptions that all hot Jupiters are tidally locked with eastward winds, suggesting a one-size-fits-all model does not work and improving the understanding of exoplanets beyond our solar system.

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