Scientists
at the University of Exeter & Co. have discovered the strongest
evidence to date for a stratosphere on a planet outside of our solar
system. What's more exciting is that this exoplanet appears to have an
atmosphere full of 'glowing' water molecules.
Although it's
predicted exoplanets should have stratospheres, this has never been
verified. On Earth, the stratosphere is the part of the atmosphere right
above the troposphere - where we live - and it is also where airplanes
travel through.
To study the stratosphere of the planet
WASP-121b, scientists looked at how different molecules in the planet's
atmosphere reacted to light wavelengths (through Hubble's numerous
tools). Water vapour came out as an easy benchmark since it behaves in
predictable ways depending on its temperature.
Hubble observed
that the water molecules were glowing. In other words, that meant that
hotter water molecules at the top of the atmosphere were releasing a lot
of energy instead of absorbing it. This observation agreed with the
main characteristic of a stratosphere: a layer of atmosphere in which
temperature increases with higher altitudes.
Read more about this fascinating story at: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/hubble-detects-exoplanet-with-glowing-water-atmosphere
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Friday, August 4, 2017
EXOPLANET WITH 'GLOWING' WATER ATMOSPHERE DETECTED BY HUBBLE
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