Scientists were excited to discover clear skies on a relatively small planet, about the size of Neptune, using the combined power of NASA's Hubble, Spitzer, and Kepler space telescopes. The view from this planet – were it possible to fly a spaceship into its gaseous layers – is illustrated at right. Before now, all of the planets observed in this size range had been found to have high cloud layers that blocked the ability to detect molecules in the planet's atmosphere (illustrated at left).
The clear planet, called HAT-P-11b, is gaseous with a rocky core, much like our own Neptune. Its atmosphere may have clouds deeper down, but the new observations show that the upper region is cloud-free. This good visibility enabled scientists to detect water vapor molecules in the planet's atmosphere.
Credits
NASA, ESA, and R. Hurt (JPL-Caltech)| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | HAT-P-11b |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | Note: Observations from NASA's Kepler Mission and Spitzer Space Telescope contributed to the discovery of HAT-P-11b. Hubble data for this release of HAT-P-11b were obtained from the following HST proposal: : D. Deming (University of Maryland, College Park, and NASA Ames/Astrobiology Institute), H. Knutson (Caltech), N. Madhusudhan (University of Cambridge/Institute of Astronomy), and K. Todorov (ETH Zurich). The science team comprises: J. Fraine (University of Maryland, College Park, Institute of Astrophysics/Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and Caltech), D. Deming (University of Maryland, College Park, and NASA Ames/Astrobiology Institute), B. Benneke and H. Knutson (Caltech), A. Jordan and N. Espinoza (Institute of Astrophysics/Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile), N. Madhusudhan (University of Cambridge/Institute of Astronomy), A. Wilkins (University of Maryland, College Park), and K. Todorov (ETH Zurich). |
| 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. |
