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Home » Space/Science

Astronomers Peer into Atmosphere of Rare Exoplanet that 'Shouldn't Exist' . . . November 2, 2020 2:24 pm DanS

Astronomers Peer into the Atmosphere of a Rare Exoplanet that ‘Shouldn’t Exist’

By Michelle Starr | ScienceAlert

OCTOBER 28, 2020 | The discovery of the extraordinary exoplanet LTT 9779b was first announced a month ago. Just 260 light-years away, the planet was immediately pegged as an excellent candidate for follow-up study of its curious atmosphere. But it turns out we didn’t even have to wait too long to learn more.


(Image: © Ricardo Ramirez/Universidad de Chile)

LTT 9779b is a little bigger than Neptune, orbiting a Sun-like star – fairly normal so far. But two things are really peculiar. It’s so close to its star, the planet orbits once every 19 hours; and, in spite of the scorching heat it must be subjected to at that proximity, LTT 9779b still has a substantial atmosphere.

Infrared observations collected by the now-retired Spitzer Space Telescope included the planet’s host star, and astronomers have now analysed those data, publishing their results in a couple of studies.

  • I really want to learn more about this planet now. by Vitruvius 2020-11-02 15:14:54

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