A scientist studying a large, gaseous planet located 150 light-years from Earth has found strong evidence that there is water vapor in the planet’s atmosphere. Previous analyses of the transiting planet, which is known as “HD209458b,” had not found evidence of water. However, Travis Barman, an astronomer at Lowell Observatory, used new theoretical models and a different approach to studying the planet’s atmosphere. His study is based on an earlier analysis of visible and infrared data from the Hubble Telescope by Harvard researcher Heather Knutson.
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Astronomers Spot Watery World in Another Star System
Posted by: Katherine Noyes April 11, 2007 02:01 PMA scientist studying a large, gaseous planet located 150 light-years from Earth has found strong evidence that there is water vapor in the planet’s atmosphere. Previous analyses of the transiting planet, which is known as “HD209458b,” had not found evidence of water. However, Travis Barman, an astronomer at Lowell Observatory, used new theoretical models and a different approach to studying the planet’s atmosphere. His study is based on an earlier analysis of visible and infrared data from the Hubble Telescope by Harvard researcher Heather Knutson.