theSIGNAL SCIENCE
28 October 2026
"The most exciting phrase in science is not "Eureka!" but "That's funny.""
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Science

A Lava World Wearing Cloud Sunscreen

Webb telescope data suggests a molten, sun-scorched planet 280 light-years away may be shielding itself with reflective clouds and a thick atmosphere.

Imagine a planet so close to its star that its surface is a sea of molten rock. Now imagine that it still has weather. That is the strange picture emerging from TOI-561 b, a rocky world about 280 light-years from Earth. Astronomers pointed the James Webb Space Telescope at it for 37 hours, long enough to watch nearly four full orbits.

The team, which includes Dr. Anjali Piette of the University of Birmingham, reported the results in The Astronomical Journal. Their finding was a puzzle. The planet's star-facing side was much cooler than a dark, bare rock in such a position should be.

What could explain it? One idea is a veil of highly reflective silicate clouds, bouncing starlight back into space like a giant sunscreen. Another is that a thick atmosphere carries heat from the permanently lit dayside around to the nightside, smoothing out the extremes. Both ideas need an atmosphere, and that is exactly what theory said should not exist.

Photo: Mirella Callage / Unsplash
An artist's impression of a molten, glowing rocky planet orbiting very close to its star.
Discuss
  • Why might astronomers have expected a planet so close to its star to lose its atmosphere completely?
  • How could a layer of silicate clouds act like sunscreen for a molten planet?
  • The gases on TOI-561 b are still unknown; how should scientists treat conclusions drawn from incomplete evidence?
Science

The Moon Mission That Never Lands

Four astronauts, three rockets, three spacecraft, two dockings. Nasa calls Artemis III the most complicated mission it has ever tried, and it won't even land. Instead, Orion's crew will rehearse docking in Earth orbit with two rival landers: Blue Origin's and SpaceX's. Why practise so close to home?…
  • Is testing rival landers in Earth orbit smarter than rushing straight to the Moon?
∞
We would expect a heavily irradiated rocky planet like TOI-561 b to have lost its atmosphere billions of years ago.
Dr. Anjali Piette, Assistant Professor in Astronomy, University of Birmingham
Science

A Universe Rebuilt Inside a Computer

Imagine replaying the first two billion years of everything. Harvard-Smithsonian researchers have done roughly that with Lumina, a simulation tracking how gas, dark matter and light shaped the infant cosmos. It covers a region over 100 times larger than comparable earlier models. Why bother? Because the James Webb Space Telescope, and soon Roman, keep sending images that must be tested against predictions.…
  • If a simulation and a telescope disagree, which one should scientists trust first?
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theSIGNAL IN THE LAB
1VOCABULARY
molten rockhighly reflective
irradiatedparadoxcandidate
refilling the skydocking
2GRAMMAR FOCUS
Reported speech — statements, questions, commands with tense shift
When we report what someone said, the verb usually moves one step back in time (is → was, will → would, have found → had found), and pronouns and time words change to fit the new viewpoint. Reported questions use normal statement word order with if/whether or a question word, and reported commands use tell/ask + object + to-infinitive.
was · had · would · if · to · had been · whether · were
  1. The astronomers explained that the planet's star-facing side much cooler than a bare rock in that position should be.
  2. Dr. Piette's team said that they pointed the telescope at the planet for 37 hours.
  3. One researcher said that a thick atmosphere carry heat from the dayside around to the nightside.
  4. A journalist asked the scientists the planet's ocean of lava could keep refilling its sky with gas.
  5. Theory had suggested that a planet so heavily irradiated lost its gases billions of years ago.
  6. A mission planner told reporters that the Artemis III crew rehearse docking in Earth orbit with two rival landers.
3DEPENDENT PREPOSITIONS
Complete each phrase with the correct preposition. All from today’s articles.
  1. The results were reported ___ The Astronomical Journal.
  2. A planet this close to its star should have been blasted ___ its gases billions of years ago.
  3. The planet's lava ocean may keep refilling the sky ___ fresh gas.
  4. Its dayside was much cooler than a bare rock in that position should be, which was a puzzle ___ the team.
  5. Artemis III will rehearse docking ___ two rival landers in Earth orbit.
4CRITICAL THINKING
Artemis III's crew will spend a whole mission on the most complicated rehearsal NASA has attempted, while TOI-561 b was studied for 37 hours of precious telescope time. Both stories involve large investments in preparation and observation rather than in dramatic 'firsts'. Who should decide how public money is divided between spectacular milestones and patient groundwork, and what criteria would you use?
5CREATIVE · HEADLINES
Write a headline for the top story in each of the following styles. One line each, no explanation:
  • TABLOID NEWSPAPER
  • LUXURY MAGAZINE
  • ACTIVIST BLOG
6WRITING
Imagine you are an astronomer who has just been told that TOI-561 b has an atmosphere. Write a short diary entry (80-100 words) describing your first reaction and the first question you would want to answer.
7DEGREES OF EXTREMITY
Complete each ladder from mild to strong.
  • The planet is very hot.→→
  • The finding was surprising.→→
  • The team was interested in the results.→→
  • The mission is difficult.→→
  • The simulation covers a large region.→→
  • The idea is unusual.→→
8SPEAKING
  1. Which would you rather explore: a lava planet or deep space?
  2. Would you volunteer for a long space mission? What would worry you?
  3. Should countries cooperate in space rather than compete? Why?
  4. Which space discovery has surprised you most in recent years?