Astronomers Find First Evidence Of Water Clouds Outside Our Solar System
- 10 years ago
Astronomers have reportedly found the first possible evidence of water ice clouds outside of our solar system. The brown dwarf star around seven point three light years away from Earth has been identified as being partly cloudy, with the possibility of the clouds being comprised of water ice.
Astronomers have reportedly found the first possible evidence of water ice clouds outside of our solar system.
The brown dwarf star around seven point three light years away from Earth has been identified as being partly cloudy, with the possibility of the clouds being comprised of water ice.
It is about the size of planet Jupiter, but has a mass that is three to ten times higher than the gas giant.
The star is solitary, so there is no visual light interference during telescope observations.
Using images taken by the NASA WISE infrared telescope, astronomer Kevin Luhman from the Pennsylvania State University, University Park discovered the star in data collected between 2010 and 2011.
Follow up observations were done by Jacqueline Faherty of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D.C., who used the Magellan Baade telescope located in Chile to take 151 near-infrared images of the star.
Water vapor has been detected on some extrasolar planets before, but none of them have had atmospheric water clouds, which cover nearly half of the brown dwarf star.
Verification of the discovery will wait until the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope sometime within this decade.
Astronomers have reportedly found the first possible evidence of water ice clouds outside of our solar system.
The brown dwarf star around seven point three light years away from Earth has been identified as being partly cloudy, with the possibility of the clouds being comprised of water ice.
It is about the size of planet Jupiter, but has a mass that is three to ten times higher than the gas giant.
The star is solitary, so there is no visual light interference during telescope observations.
Using images taken by the NASA WISE infrared telescope, astronomer Kevin Luhman from the Pennsylvania State University, University Park discovered the star in data collected between 2010 and 2011.
Follow up observations were done by Jacqueline Faherty of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D.C., who used the Magellan Baade telescope located in Chile to take 151 near-infrared images of the star.
Water vapor has been detected on some extrasolar planets before, but none of them have had atmospheric water clouds, which cover nearly half of the brown dwarf star.
Verification of the discovery will wait until the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope sometime within this decade.