NASA finds signs of hellish, lava-covered 'exomoon' circling an alien world — and it could meet a 'destructive end'

An artist's interpretation of a volcanic, lava-covered exomoon spitting out a cloud of chemicals.

NASA scientists have uncovered new evidence of a hellish, volcanic "exomoon" orbiting a superheated alien world relatively close to Earth. The proposed satellite, which may be covered with lava, likely birthed a giant metallic cloud and could soon meet a violent end, a new study suggests.

WASP-49 b is a gas giant exoplanet that's around three times less massive than Jupiter and located 635 light-years from Earth. The alien world, which was discovered in 2012, is extremely close to its home star, orbiting it every 2.8 days, and has an average temperature of around 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,100 degrees Celsius).