Exoplanet suffers from extreme heating
Posted: Fri, Jan 30, 2009, 6:45 AM ET (1145 GMT)
An extrasolar planet in a highly eccentric orbit undergoes a sudden temperature increase, warming by 700 degrees in a matter of hours, scientists said this week. HD80606b, a gas giant roughly four times the mass of Jupiter, orbits a star 200 light-years from the Earth in an orbit that takes it much closer to the star than Mercury orbits the Earth. Observations of the star and planet by the Spitzer Space Telescope revealed that as the planet approaches close to the star. its temperature increases from 800 to 1,500 degrees Kelvin. This sudden heating likely generates very high speed winds and storms in the planet's upper atmosphere, according to computer models. The temperature change was directly measured by Spitzer by subtracting out the infrared light from the star alone from observations when the planet was hidden behind the star. The results of the observations were reported in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.
An extrasolar planet in a highly eccentric orbit undergoes a sudden temperature increase, warming by 700 degrees in a matter of hours, scientists said this week. HD80606b, a gas giant roughly four times the mass of Jupiter, orbits a star 200 light-years from the Earth in an orbit that takes it much closer to the star than Mercury orbits the Earth. Observations of the star and planet by the Spitzer Space Telescope revealed that as the planet approaches close to the star. its temperature increases from 800 to 1,500 degrees Kelvin. This sudden heating likely generates very high speed winds and storms in the planet's upper atmosphere, according to computer models. The temperature change was directly measured by Spitzer by subtracting out the infrared light from the star alone from observations when the planet was hidden behind the star. The results of the observations were reported in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Thursday, March 19
Firefly Aerospace Selected for the 2025 Robert J. Collier Trophy
National Aeronautic Association — 5:22 am ET (0922 GMT) Satellite development begins for EUMETSAT Polar System – Sterna
EUMETSAT — 5:22 am ET (0922 GMT) Minotaur IV rocket motor stacking at Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex-8
US Space Force — 5:20 am ET (0920 GMT) MDA Space awarded contract with Canadian Department of National Defence to deliver Ground-Based Optical Capability for Space Surveillance
MDA — 5:18 am ET (0918 GMT) Rocket Lab wins record contract with US Department of War
Radio New Zealand — 5:17 am ET (0917 GMT) |
