Here is a strange weather report from deep space. In May 2026, scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope reported cloudy mornings and clearer evenings on a giant exoplanet called WASP-94A b, about 700 light-years from Earth. (lifescience.net)
WASP-94A b is a “hot Jupiter.” That means it is a gas giant, like Jupiter, but it orbits very close to its star. One year there lasts only about four Earth days. The planet is also tidally locked, so one side always faces the star and stays very hot, while the other side stays dark and cooler. (lifescience.net)
So what is the weather like? On the morning side, the sky seems full of tiny mineral clouds. These clouds are likely made of magnesium silicate, a rock material that can act like sand in this extreme heat. Scientists think the clouds form on the cool night side, move to the morning side, and then start to disappear as they travel into the hotter daylight. By evening, the sky is clearer. That is why the “evening” side showed stronger signs of water vapor. (lifescience.net)
The team used Webb’s NIRISS instrument to study starlight passing through the planet’s atmosphere during a transit. By comparing the morning edge and the evening edge, they could see that the two sides were different. (eurekalert.org)
This matters because many studies treat a planet’s atmosphere as if it is the same everywhere. This new result shows that alien weather can change from one side to the other. Even on a world with no beaches, there may be sandy skies and a clear alien sunset. (lifescience.net)










