Astronomers find water in atmosphere of exoplanet
Posted: Sun, Sep 15, 2019, 8:01 AM ET (1201 GMT)
Astronomers have found a planet in a star's habitable zone with evidence of water in its atmosphere, but don't make your travel plans there just yet. The planet, K2-18b, orbits its star at a distance where liquid water could exist, and spectral data from the Hubble Space Telescope showed evidence of water vapor. While some scientists called the exoplanet "the best candidate for habitability that we know right now," others cautioned the planet, about eight times the mass of the Earth, is more like a "mini-Neptune" versus a super-Earth with a dense hydrogen atmosphere that could form a layer of liquid hydrogen.
Astronomers have found a planet in a star's habitable zone with evidence of water in its atmosphere, but don't make your travel plans there just yet. The planet, K2-18b, orbits its star at a distance where liquid water could exist, and spectral data from the Hubble Space Telescope showed evidence of water vapor. While some scientists called the exoplanet "the best candidate for habitability that we know right now," others cautioned the planet, about eight times the mass of the Earth, is more like a "mini-Neptune" versus a super-Earth with a dense hydrogen atmosphere that could form a layer of liquid hydrogen.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
US and UK militaries conduct coordinated satellite maneuvers
Posted: Sun, Sep 21 8:30 AM ET (1230 GMT) Blue Origin retires a New Shepard capsule after payload flight
Posted: Sun, Sep 21 8:25 AM ET (1225 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Thursday, October 2
Europe moves ahead with strategies to take on Starlink
Light Reading — 8:08 am ET (1208 GMT) Blue Origin Announces Crew for New Shepard’s 36th Mission
Blue Origin — 8:05 am ET (1205 GMT) Space race meets reality TV: Indians can now compete for a seat on a suborbital flight
ThePrint (India) — 8:05 am ET (1205 GMT) Blue Origin Plans Lunar Resource Mapping Mission
Aviation Week — 8:05 am ET (1205 GMT) SpaceX Starlink’s T-Mobile Service Now Connects Apps, Video Chat
Aviation Week — 8:04 am ET (1204 GMT) |
