Credit & Copyright: European Space Agency,
Alfred Vidal-Madjar
(Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris,
CNRS),
NASA
Explanation:
Planet HD 209458b is evaporating.
It is so close to its parent star that its heated atmosphere is simply expanding
away into space.
Some astronomers studying this distant planetary system now believe they have detected
water vapor among the gases being liberated.
This controversial claim,
if true, would mark the first instance of planetary water beyond our Solar System,
and indicate anew that life might be sustainable elsewhere in the universe.
HD 209458b is known as a
hot Jupiter
type system because it involves a Jupiter-type planet in a Mercury-type orbit.
Although
spectroscopic
observations from the Hubble Space Telescope
are the basis for the water detection claim,
the planetary system is too small and faint to image.
Therefore, an artist's impression of the HD 209458b system is
shown above.
Research into the atmospheric composition of
HD 209458b and other
extrasolar planets
is continuing.
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 |
Yanvar' Fevral' Mart Aprel' Mai Iyun' Iyul' Avgust Sentyabr' Oktyabr' Noyabr' Dekabr' |
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
|
Publikacii s klyuchevymi slovami:
extrasolar planet - water - ekzoplaneta
Publikacii so slovami: extrasolar planet - water - ekzoplaneta | |
Sm. takzhe:
Vse publikacii na tu zhe temu >> | |
