Ultra-hot giant exoplanets receive thousands of times Earth’s insolation 1 , 2 . Their high-temperature atmospheres (>2,000 K) are ideal laboratories for studying extreme planetary climates and chemistry 3 – 5 . Daysides are predicted to be cloud-free, dominated by atomic species 6 and substantially hotter than nightsides 5 , 7 , 8 . Atoms are expected to recombine into molecules over the nightside 9 , resulting in different day-night chemistry. While metallic elements and a large temperature contrast have been observed 10 – 14 , no chemical gradient has been measured across the surface of such an exoplanet. Different atmospheric chemistry between the day-to-night (“evening”) and night-to-day (“morning”) terminators could, however, be revealed as an asymmetric absorption signature during transit 4 , 7 , 15 . Here, we report the detection of an asymmetric atmospheric signature in the ultra-hot exoplanet WASP-76b. We spectrally and temporally resolve this signature thanks to the combination of high-dispersion spectroscopy with a large photon-collecting area. The absorption signal, attributed to neutral iron, is blueshifted by −11±0.7 km s -1 on the trailing limb, which can be explained by a combination of planetary rotation and wind blowing from the hot dayside 16 . In contrast, no signal arises from the nightside close to the morning terminator, showing that atomic iron is not absorbing starlight there. Iron must thus condense during its journey across the nightside.

Context. Ultra-hot Jupiters are excellent laboratories for the study of exoplanetary atmospheres. WASP-121b is one of the most studied; many recent analyses of its atmosphere report interesting features at different wavelength ranges. Aims. In this paper we analyze one transit of WASP-121b acquired with the high-resolution spectrograph ESPRESSO at VLT in one-telescope mode, and one partial transit taken during the commissioning of the instrument in four-telescope mode. Methods. We take advantage of the very high S/N data and of the extreme stability of the spectrograph to investigate the anomalous in-transit radial velocity curve and study the transmission spectrum of the planet. We pay particular attention to the removal of instrumental effects, and stellar and telluric contamination. The transmission spectrum is investigated through single-line absorption and cross-correlation with theoretical model templates. Results. By analyzing the in-transit radial velocities we were able to infer the presence of the atmospheric Rossiter-McLaughlin effect. We measured the height of the planetary atmospheric layer that correlates with the stellar mask (mainly Fe) to be 1.052±0.015 R p and we also confirmed the blueshift of the planetary atmosphere. By examining the planetary absorption signal on the stellar cross-correlation functions we confirmed the presence of a temporal variation of its blueshift during transit, which could be investigated spectrum-by-spectrum thanks to the quality of our ESPRESSO data. We detected significant absorption in the transmission spectrum for Na, H, K, Li, Ca ii, and Mg, and we certified their planetary nature by using the 2D tomographic technique. Particularly remarkable is the detection of Li, with a line contrast of ∼0.2% detected at the 6σ level. With the cross-correlation technique we confirmed the presence of Fe i, Fe ii, Cr i, and V i. Hα and Ca ii are present up to very high altitudes in the atmosphere (∼1.44 R p and ∼2 R p , respectively), and also extend beyond the transit-equivalent Roche lobe radius of the planet. These layers of the atmosphere have a large line broadening that is not compatible with being caused by the tidally locked rotation of the planet alone, and could arise from vertical winds or high-altitude jets in the evaporating atmosphere.

Context. ESPRESSO is the new high-resolution spectrograph of ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT). It was designed for ultra-high radial-velocity (RV) precision and extreme spectral fidelity with the aim of performing exoplanet research and fundamental astrophysical experiments with unprecedented precision and accuracy. It is able to observe with any of the four Unit Telescopes (UTs) of the VLT at a spectral resolving power of 140 000 or 190 000 over the 378.2 to 788.7 nm wavelength range; it can also observe with all four UTs together, turning the VLT into a 16-m diameter equivalent telescope in terms of collecting area while still providing a resolving power of 70 000. Aims. We provide a general description of the ESPRESSO instrument, report on its on-sky performance, and present our Guaranteed Time Observation (GTO) program along with its first results. Methods. ESPRESSO was installed on the Paranal Observatory in fall 2017. Commissioning (on-sky testing) was conducted between December 2017 and September 2018. The instrument saw its official start of operations on October 1, 2018, but improvements to the instrument and recommissioning runs were conducted until July 2019. Results. The measured overall optical throughput of ESPRESSO at 550 nm and a seeing of 0.65 exceeds the 10% mark under nominal astroclimatic conditions. We demonstrate an RV precision of better than 25 cm s −1 during a single night and 50 cm s −1 over several months. These values being limited by photon noise and stellar jitter shows that the performance is compatible with an instrumental precision of 10 cm s −1. No difference has been measured across the UTs, neither in throughput nor RV precision. Conclusions. The combination of the large collecting telescope area with the efficiency and the exquisite spectral fidelity of ESPRESSO opens a new parameter space in RV measurements, the study of planetary atmospheres, fundamental constants, stellar characterization, and many other fields.