Fringy, science-stuff, maybe fact or fiction?

Evaporating Planet

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. 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. The image is an artist's concept of the HD 209458b system.

Image Credit: NASA, European Space Agency, Alfred Vidal-Madjar (Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, CNRS)


+ Full Resolution (476 Kb)

Posted by: NeutronNorman at 13:25 | link | comments (2)

Comments:

#1  24 November 2007 - 23:48

 

Wow - hope that isn't in our future!

mafidl

#2  24 November 2007 - 23:55

 

It will, when the sun expands on its death throes before shrinking into a white dwarf.

NN

Anonymous

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