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
|
|
Thales and Airbus to build next-generation radar imaging satellites
Posted: Sat, Jun 13 10:02 AM ET (1402 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Monday, June 15
China's Lijian-1 rocket sends 8 satellites into orbit
CGTN — 5:39 am ET (0939 GMT) Lithuania to host European Space Education Resource Office
LRT — 5:39 am ET (0939 GMT) Russia’s satellite moves push Europe to rethink space defense
TVP World — 5:38 am ET (0938 GMT) SpaceX to launch rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base Monday morning
KSBY-TV San Luis Obispo, CA — 5:36 am ET (0936 GMT) Emboldened by SpaceX, Investors Are Piling Into All Things Space
Wall Street Journal — 5:33 am ET (0933 GMT) |
