THE BLUE PLANET

 Using data from the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have revealed that the real light color of Exoplanet "HD 189733b" is deep blue. Astronomers observing visible light with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have deduced the true color of a planet orbiting a star 63 light years away from Earth.The planet is HD 189733b, it is one of the closest exoplanets that can be seen crossing its star.  The image spectrograph of the Hubble Space Telescope has measured changes in the light color of the planet before, during and after a passage behind its star. There was a slight drop in light and a slight change in the color of the light."We have seen the light become less bright in blue, but not in green or red, said researcher Frederic Pont of the University of Exeter, in the south-west of England.

 This means that the missing object is blue". Previous observations have reported evidence of dispersion of blue light on the planet. Hubble's latest observation confirms the evidence. If viewed directly, this Planet would appear to be a deep blue point, similar to the color of  "Earth seen from space. Here is where the confrontation ends. In this turbulent world, the daytime temperature is almost 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, and perhaps it rains glass with winds of 4,500 mph.The cobalt blue color does not derive from the reflection of a tropical ocean like on  Earth, but from a nebulous and burning atmosphere containing high clouds, bound to silicate particles.The heat condensing silicates can form tiny glass drops that disperse more blue light than red light.Hubble and other observers have conducted extensive studies on the 'HD 189733b and have found its changing and exotic atmosphere.HD 189733b is part of a bizarre class of planets called hot Jupiter, orbit precariously close to their mother stars.The observations generate new ideas on the chemical composition and cloud structure of the whole class.The intense blue color of the exoplanet is produced by silicate droplets, which diffuse the blue light in its atmosphere.  Clouds often play important roles in planetary atmospheres. Detecting the presence and importance of clouds in the hot Jupiter is crucial for the astronomers' understanding of the physics and climatology of other planets.The HD 189733b was discovered in 2005. It is only 4.9 million kilometers from its parent star, so close that it is gravitationally blocked.  One side is always facing the star and the other side is always dark. Credits: ESA, Hubble Telescope. 

You Might Also Like :