Wet Exoplanet has Clear Skies...
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Wet Exoplanet has Clear Skies...
Neptune-sized orb is smallest alien world known to have water vapour.
The smallest exoplanet yet found to contain water is about the size of Neptune — and a rare glimpse at its atmosphere reveals clear conditions. The handful of other small planets whose atmospheres have been studied all have cloudy skies.
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“It’s the smallest planet that we’ve seen anything in the atmosphere besides clouds,” says Jonathan Fraine, an astronomer at the University of Maryland in College Park. “The fact that it’s clear at all is significant.”
Fraine and his colleagues describe the atmosphere of the planet in the 25 September issue of Nature1. Known as HAT-P-11b, the body is about 38 parsecs (124 light years) away, in the Cygnus constellation.
Astronomers have been piecing together details on the atmospheres of several alien worlds, trying to find an Earth-like world with an Earth-like atmosphere. So far, however, clouds have generally obscured their view.
HAT-P-11b is different. Fraine’s team used the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes to monitor the dimming of its star’s light as the planet passed in front of it, along with spectral details of the light during those transits. The astronomers could briefly glimpse its atmosphere twice, as the planet moved onto the disk of the star and then off it..
From Here.
Tim.
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Re: Wet Exoplanet has Clear Skies...
So could there be life on it??
Stirky- Admin
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Re: Wet Exoplanet has Clear Skies...
Well, it has a temperature of 605 degrees Celsius!!! So not for us, but I believe life can develop anywhere... just not life as we know it on Earth.
Agartha- Admin
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Re: Wet Exoplanet has Clear Skies...
Blimey that's hot! Get a lovely tan there then Yes still means life could not be ruled out though
Stirky- Admin
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Re: Wet Exoplanet has Clear Skies...
Yep life could develop there, We have Thermophile bacteria in Earth that can handle temps up to 300C.
As Ags says, it won't be life as we know it but.
Tim.
As Ags says, it won't be life as we know it but.
Tim.
Rockhopper- Posts : 4282
Join date : 2014-06-13
Age : 80
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Re: Wet Exoplanet has Clear Skies...
Well, Stirks.... a nice tan or burned to dust!!! lol
Tim, yes, not life as we know it.... and I'd love it if they find a planet with life before I have to move onto my next reincarnation ( ) ..... I'd love to see what life in other planet could be like.
Tim, yes, not life as we know it.... and I'd love it if they find a planet with life before I have to move onto my next reincarnation ( ) ..... I'd love to see what life in other planet could be like.
Agartha- Admin
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