Hubble measures atmospheric structure of extrasolar planet HD 209458b
The powerful vision of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has allowed astronomers to study for the first time the layer-cake structure of the atmosphere of a planet orbiting another star. Hubble discovered a dense upper layer of hot hydrogen gas where the super-hot planet's atmosphere is bleeding off into space.
Credit:About the Image
About the Object
| Name: | HD 209458b, Jupiter, Sun |
|---|---|
| Type: | Milky Way : Star : Circumstellar Material : Planetary System Solar System : Star Solar System : Planet : Type : Gas Giant |
| Distance: | 150 light years |
| Category: | Exoplanets |
