As astronomers ramp up study of the atmospheres of hot, Jupiter-like planets around other stars, they encounter clouds that obscure study of atmospheric gases. A new computer model looks at the proposals for cloud compositions -- from smog to rubies -- and finds that the most likely, over a large range of temperatures, are silicate clouds: aerosols of silicon and oxygen, like molten quartz or sand. The hottest exoplanets have clear skies; the coolest have hydrocarbon hazes.
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