First exo-planetary organic molecule |
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First exo-planetary organic molecule |
 Mar 19 2008, 09:41 PM
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#1
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Junior Member  Group: Members Posts: 61 Joined: 17-September 05 From: Sweden Member No.: 499  |
Hubble makes first detection of an organic molecule in an exo-planetary atmosphere!
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/s...g_20080319.html |
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Mar 20 2008, 09:44 AM
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 Special Cookie Group: Members Posts: 2168 Joined: 6-April 05 From: Sintra | Portugal Member No.: 228 |
Now...that is something!
 -------------------- "Ride, boldly ride," The shade replied, "If you seek for Eldorado!"
Edgar Alan Poe |
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Mar 20 2008, 12:13 PM
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#3
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 Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8783 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
They also detected water vapor...all the more astonishing considering that the planet has a two day orbital period around its star.
I wonder how well we understand the thermal inertia of these bodies. It's surprising that chemicals can hang together under all that heat and radiation. It would be very interesting to know the planet's rotation period; seems easier to explain the compounds if it's rotating (which provides cooling), but being so close you'd think it would be tidally locked, unless it just got to where it is fairly recently. Many mysteries here. -------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
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Mar 20 2008, 12:36 PM
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#4
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Special Cookie Group: Members Posts: 2168 Joined: 6-April 05 From: Sintra | Portugal Member No.: 228 |
QUOTE (nprev @ Mar 20 2008, 12:13 PM)  ...but being so close you'd think it would be tidally locked... Yes, it is tidally locked... -------------------- "Ride, boldly ride," The shade replied, "If you seek for Eldorado!"
Edgar Alan Poe |
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Mar 20 2008, 01:09 PM
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 Member Group: Members Posts: 213 Joined: 21-January 07 From: Wigan, England Member No.: 1638 |
Astonishing precision and stability of the measurement of 1 part in 10,000!
CO should be dominant, given the high temperature of 1000 K, so I'm surprised that so much methane was detected (50 ppm)... -------------------- "I got a call from NASA Headquarters wanting a color picture of Venus. I said, “What color would you like it?” - Laurance R. Doyle, former JPL image processing guy
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Mar 20 2008, 02:21 PM
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#6
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Member Group: Members Posts: 877 Joined: 7-March 05 From: Switzerland Member No.: 186 |
HD189733 from the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey that was completed in 1958.
There's a little motion of the star between the new and old image http://www.greuti.ch/astro/hd189733b.gif Another drift from a star can be seen in the top left corner of the inserted old image. -------------------- |
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Mar 21 2008, 09:28 PM
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#7
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 Member Group: Members Posts: 259 Joined: 23-January 05 From: Seattle, WA Member No.: 156 |
QUOTE (nprev @ Mar 20 2008, 01:13 PM) ... It's surprising that chemicals can hang together under all that heat and radiation. ... Maybe they're not hanging together. Perhaps they're continually brought up from below? Or re-combining on the night side? Might there be a cometary plume of material streaming away from the planet, and the water and methane re-combining only after their constituents have been stripped away? I freely confess I've got very little to no clue when it comes to stuff like this; I'm just throwing out a few wild ideas. (Some of which might be testable!) |
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Mar 22 2008, 11:33 AM
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#8
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Member Group: Members Posts: 213 Joined: 21-January 07 From: Wigan, England Member No.: 1638 |
QUOTE (Gsnorgathon @ Mar 21 2008, 09:28 PM) Maybe they're not hanging together. Perhaps they're continually brought up from below? That's as good an explanation of any that I've heard lately. QUOTE Might there be a cometary plume of material streaming away from the planet, and the water and methane re-combining only after their constituents have been stripped away? Nah, UV light from the parent star will prevent any molecules from forming. -------------------- "I got a call from NASA Headquarters wanting a color picture of Venus. I said, “What color would you like it?” - Laurance R. Doyle, former JPL image processing guy
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