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
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Saturday, October 24
United States Welcomes Uzbekistan’s Signing of the Artemis Accords
US State Department — 9:56 pm ET (0156 GMT) Kymeta Appoints Former Senior Intelligence Official Elizabeth Kimber to Drive Growth with National Security Partners
Kymeta — 9:55 pm ET (0155 GMT) Zenno Supertorquer Desaturates Reaction Wheels on Impulse Space’s Mira
Zenno Astronautics — 9:53 pm ET (0153 GMT) ArkEdge Space and SSC Space Expand Cooperation Through Ground Segment Agreement and MoU
ArkEdge Space — 9:52 pm ET (0152 GMT) Ranking Members Lofgren and Amo Demand Answers After GAO Report Reveals Trump-Inflicted Damage to America’s Future Weather Satellites
House Science, Space and Technology Committee Democratic Caucus — 9:52 pm ET (0152 GMT) |
