No water found on two exoplanets
Posted: Thu, Feb 22, 2007, 8:52 AM ET (1352 GMT)
The first spectra of two extrasolar planets taken by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope revealed, to the surprise of scientists, no sign of water in the atmospheres of two planets. Spitzer took infrared spectra of the exoplanets HD 189733b and HD 209458b, two "hot Jupiters" so named because they are Jupiter-sized gas giants that orbit very close to their stars. Scientists had expected that the planets would have significant amounts of water vapor in their atmospheres, but none was detected by Spitzer. In addition, the data indicated that one of the planets, HD 209458b, might have unusual clouds of silicate particles in its upper atmosphere. Those clouds might be obscuring the presence of water, scientists said. Scientists called this research a "dress rehearsal" for future efforts to look for evidence of life on other planets.
The first spectra of two extrasolar planets taken by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope revealed, to the surprise of scientists, no sign of water in the atmospheres of two planets. Spitzer took infrared spectra of the exoplanets HD 189733b and HD 209458b, two "hot Jupiters" so named because they are Jupiter-sized gas giants that orbit very close to their stars. Scientists had expected that the planets would have significant amounts of water vapor in their atmospheres, but none was detected by Spitzer. In addition, the data indicated that one of the planets, HD 209458b, might have unusual clouds of silicate particles in its upper atmosphere. Those clouds might be obscuring the presence of water, scientists said. Scientists called this research a "dress rehearsal" for future efforts to look for evidence of life on other planets.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Friday, April 10
Amazon Leo to Launch 'Mid-2026,' CEO Hints at Lower Price Than Starlink
PC Magazine — 6:24 am ET (1024 GMT) Amazon’s Starlink competitor Leo gets a new date
The Verge — 6:23 am ET (1023 GMT) Space Force Picks 14 Firms to Compete to Build Reconnaissance Satellites
Air and Space Forces Magazine — 6:22 am ET (1022 GMT) Oxygen made from Moon dust for first time
The Daily Telegraph — 6:19 am ET (1019 GMT) This founder helped build SpaceX’s most powerful rocket engine. Now he’s building a ‘fighter jet for orbit.’
TechCrunch — 6:19 am ET (1019 GMT) |
