Astronomers have claimed that they have solved the long-standing mystery of hot Jupiter’s water, which has been baffling scientists since the discovery of the extrasolar planets about two decades ago.

The mystery of hot Jupiter could tell astronomers how planets are formed. To find answers, astronomers used NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer Space Telescope. They believe the lenses have helped them in solving the long-standing mystery of hot Jupiters’ water. Thick clouds in the atmospheres of hot Jupiters, also called roaster planets, have blocked the water.

The astronomers said they will use new findings to understand how planets are formed. The findings, published by the journal Nature, could also assist in knowing more about these gas giants’ atmospheres, as per the astronomers.

An author of the findings, Jonathan Fortney from UC Santa Cruz, said, “While gas giants might be relatively easy to spot due to their size, their interiors remain largely shrouded in layers of mystery. We don't even know all that much about our own Jupiter”. Fortney also said the US space agency had sent a spacecraft to plunge into the distant planet’s atmosphere, but it was about two decades ago.

Scientists were aware of water on these gas giant planets since long. They were sure that the distant worlds have plenty of water within them because helium, oxygen and hydrogen are the most abundant element in the universe.