The Sky Tonight

July 30, 2014

Titan Offers Clues to Atmospheres of Hazy Planets
Moffet Field CA (NASA) Jul 30, 2014
When hazy planets pass across the face of their star, a curious thing happens. Astronomers are not able to see any changes in the range of light coming from the star and planet system. This presents a puzzling problem for scientists trying to find out what is inside planetary atmospheres. Usually, astronomers can look at a star before and after a large planet goes across, note the difference in the spectrum, and make predictions about what elements are contained in the planet's atmosphere. If the ... read more

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