spacetoday.net: space news from around the webin association with SpaceNews


"Superstorm" found on exoplanet
Posted: Thu, Jun 24, 2010, 7:30 AM ET (1130 GMT)
Superstorm on exoplanet HD209458b (ESO) Astronomers announced this week evidence for a powerful "superstorm" in the atmosphere of an extrasolar planet. In a paper published in the current issue of the journal Nature, scientists said they found signs of powerful winds in the atmosphere of HD 209458b, a "hot Jupiter" exoplanet orbiting just 0.05 AU from its parent star. Astronomer studied the planet as it transited the disk of the star, using a high-resolution spectrograph mounted on the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope to measure variations in carbon monoxide lines as light from the star passes through the planet's dense atmosphere. Those spectral variations indicated that winds in the atmosphere are blowing at speeds of 5,000 to 10,000 km/h, likely caused by the fact that the planet is tidally locked to the star so that only one side is heated, causing large temperature variations and thus powerful winds.
<<previous article   next article>>
news in brief
Senate hearing raises doubts of Artemis
Posted: Sat, Sep 6 8:50 AM ET (1250 GMT)

NASA names new associate administrator
Posted: Sat, Sep 6 8:46 AM ET (1246 GMT)

President Trump moves Space Command HQ to Alabama
Posted: Sat, Sep 6 8:44 AM ET (1244 GMT)

news links
Saturday, September 13
SpaceX, Northrop Grumman to launch supplies to ISS
Spectrum News — 5:52 am ET (0952 GMT)
Cornell-led space tech startup acquired by Pasteur Labs
Cornell Univ. — 5:51 am ET (0951 GMT)
How China Is Transforming Space Power
The Diplomat — 5:46 am ET (0946 GMT)


about spacetoday.net   ·   info@spacetoday.net   ·   mailing list