This illustration shows the seething hot planet Kepler-13Ab that circles very close to its host star, Kepler-13A. Seen in the background is the star's binary companion, Kepler-13B, and the third member of the multiple-star system is the orange dwarf star Kepler-13C.
The alien world, called a "hot Jupiter," is actually six times more massive than Jupiter. Unlike chilly Jupiter, this exoplanet is one of the hottest known of the hot Jupiters, with a dayside temperature of nearly 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Another difference between Jupiter and Kepler-13Ab is that the exoplanet is so close to its star that it is tidally locked. One side keeps a permanent face to the star, and the other side is perpetually dark.
On the colder nighttime side, titanium oxide gas changes to titanium dioxide. The planet's immense gravity pulls the titanium dioxide deeper into the atmosphere, where it precipitates as snow. Hubble observations of the planet's atmospheric temperature profile represent the first time astronomers have detected this precipitation process, called a "cold trap," on an exoplanet. Without titanium oxide gas to absorb incoming starlight on the daytime side, the atmospheric temperature grows colder with increasing altitude. Normally, titanium oxide in the atmospheres of hot Jupiters absorbs light and reradiates it as heat, making the atmosphere grow warmer at higher altitudes. The Kepler-13 system is 1,730 light-years from Earth.
The research teams consists of Thomas Beatty, Ming Zhao, Jason Wright, and Ronald Gilliland (Pennsylvania State University, University Park), Nikku Madhusudhan (University of Cambridge, U.K.), Angelos Tsiaras (University College London, U.K.), and Avi Shporer and Heather Knutson (California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California).
Credits
NASA, ESA, and G. Bacon (STScI)| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | Kepler-13Ab, Kepler-13 Planetary System |
| Object Description | Extrasolar planet |
| R.A. Position | 19 07 53.107 |
| Dec. Position | +46 52 05.95 |
| Distance | The Kepler-13 planetary system is 1,730 light-years from Earth |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | Data were provided by HST proposal (M. Zhao, P.I.). |
| Instrument | WFC3/IR Grism |
| Exposure Dates | April 2014, October 2014 |
| Filters | G141, F130N |
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | A name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object. |
| Object Description | The type of astronomical object. |
| R.A. Position | Right ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Dec. Position | Declination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Constellation | One of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears. |
| Distance | The physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs. |
| Dimensions | The physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky. |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description |
|
| Instrument | The science instrument used to produce the data. |
| Exposure Dates | The date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time. |
| Filters | The camera filters that were used in the science observations. |
| About The Image | |
| Image Credit | The primary individuals and institutions responsible for the content. |
| Publication Date | The date and time the release content became public. |
| Color Info | A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented. |
| Orientation | The rotation of the image on the sky with respect to the north pole of the celestial sphere. |
