5 Outer Planets With Water In Their Atmospheres Discovered… The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that the Hubble Space Telescope has detected five exoplanets with traces of water. Scientists announced that for the first time in a study, they made measurements that offer decisive results on more than one exoplanet.
The work of two separate research groups led to the discovery of five exoplanets that contain traces of water in their atmospheres. Researchers used Hubble's data, which left 23 years behind in Space for their discoveries.
"We are confident that we have found traces of water on many planets," said Avi Mendell of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, lead author of the study published in the Astrophysical Journal. "Our work is of great importance for comparing how much water is on planets that differ in being hot and cold," said Mendell, a planetary scientist.
Researchers use data obtained as they pass between their stars and Earth to analyze the atmospheres of planets. In the process, satellites and telescopes detect which wavelengths emitted by stars are blocked or not. The latest research used data from Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 equipment, which can study the atmospheres of planets from trillions of kilometers away.
Examining the infrared wavelengths at which water traces appear, the researchers prepared the shapes and profiles of the wavelength profiles using these data.
L. Drake Deming of the University of Maryland, who took part in the research, said: “Detecting the atmospheres of exoplanets is extremely difficult. However, in the research we were able to get a very clear signal and find the trace of the water,” he said.
FIVE 'HOT JUPITERS'
The researchers stated that the signal intensity was not as high as expected, and this may be due to the planets being 'covered with fog'.
Cloudy atmospheres reduce the intensity of signals received from planets, such as blurred colors in photos taken in foggy weather. In addition, the profile of water signals and the signals of important molecules can change.
It was stated that the planets named ASP-17b, HD209458b, WASP-12b, WASP-19b and XO-1b, each of which are close to their star, are 'hot Jupiter'. WAS17-b, which has the largest atmosphere of the planets with hot and giant gas giants close to their stars; It was stated that HD209458b sent the strongest water signals.
Heather Knutson of the California Institute of Technology comments in the research paper, "Data from Hubble and other studies show low or no water signals in many large systems… Foggy atmospheres may be common for hot Jupiters."
Source : ntvmsnbc
📩 04/12/2013 22:34
Be the first to comment