Researchers Confirm Exoplanet Has Clouds Using Hubble Telescope 62
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Unknown Lamer
from the cloudy-with-a-chance-of-heavy-metal dept.
from the cloudy-with-a-chance-of-heavy-metal dept.
Exoplanet GJ 1214 b was discovered in 2009 by the MEarth project. Researchers now have strong evidence that it has an atmosphere. "[A] team of astronomers led by UChicago's Laura Kreidberg and Jacob Bean have detected clear evidence of clouds in the atmosphere of GJ 1214b from data collected with the Hubble Space Telescope. The Hubble observations used 96 hours of telescope time spread over 11 months. This was the largest Hubble program ever devoted to studying a single exoplanet. ... The first spectra, which were obtained by Bean in 2010 using a ground-based telescope, suggested that the planet's atmosphere either was predominantly water vapor or hydrogen-dominated with high-altitude clouds. ... More precise Hubble observations made in 2012 and 2013 allowed the team to distinguish between these two scenarios. ... The best explanation for the new data is that there are high-altitude clouds in the atmosphere of the planet, though their composition is unknown. Models of super-Earth atmospheres predict clouds could be made out of potassium chloride or zinc sulfide at the scorching temperatures of 450 degrees Fahrenheit found on GJ 1214b."
Re:houston... (Score:4, Interesting)
You might be surprised what could happen as far as motivation to build new technologies if the general public saw a real picture of some distant world with bluish waters, brown and green continents and pearly white clouds.
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You might be surprised what could happen as far as motivation to build new technologies if the general public saw a real picture of some distant world with bluish waters, brown and green continents and pearly white clouds.
you might also be surprised how much more quickly the world we live on now gets fucked up when governments and corporations realize they have a 'plan b'
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or the dark side of the moon
The moon has no "dar side". It has an ordinary day and night cycle, however a day lasts 14 earth days and the night 14 earth days as well. It can simply be observed by watching the "fool moon" - "new moon" - cycle. (* facepalm *)
Re:houston... (Score:4, Funny)
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There is no dark side of the moon really. Matter of fact it's all dark.
Only in the same way that the earth is all dark.
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Re:houston... (Score:5, Funny)
I'm hoping this is just one of the best trolls I've seen in a while. If not, I would recommend counseling, and some Preparation H for the anal probing.
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Researchers Confirm Exoplanet Has Clouds Using Hubble Telescope
What I want to know is how the planet got clouds using the telescope?
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next they'll be telling us they've discovered piles on uranus
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nonsense, they only need rename the planet to something less suggestive, perhaps Urbanghole
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does raise the serious issue of why NASA isn't paying more attention to Uranus
...it's because the TSA is already paying close attention to Uranus.
launch a probe... to re-enter into Uranus.
awe c'mon... you said all joking aside
And, in the clouds... (Score:1)
Are the planet's data! They've moved their data into the clouds so we can read it!
Re:We're exploring space just fine (Score:5, Interesting)
from right here in our shirtsleeves sitting at a computer desk. I wonder why going up 0.1 Earth radii to stay within the Earth's atmosphere is "exploring space"...
Well, sure, if you want to be pedantic you could call quantum physics space-time exploration too, all of science and reality for that matter. However, note that despite the (non-avian) Dinosaurs extensive duration of "exploring space" they were extinguished by a single rock. So, while it is wondrous to peer out from deep in your basements through vast windows (and unixes) upon the Universe at large, it means fuck-all ultimately if you can't do anything about the state of things physically. The universe is a dangerous place. Entropy is out to kill us. Earth's inhabitants are living on borrowed time. It's not just rocks, but solar flares, gamma ray bursts, super volcanoes, etc. Earth is 500,000 year over-due for a magnetic pole flip.
Window shopping for planets is fine, but the tech to get there will include the tech to survive outside the magnetosphere on the Moon, Mars, among the Asteroid Belt, etc. It's been over four decades since humans were outside the magnetosphere. That's irresponsible for any sentient race capable of even a modicum of extra-planetary space exploration. If we found out tomorrow that a big unstoppable rock would hit Earth this year your extinction would be your fault. Don't think that's possible? Eris, a dwarf planet 27% more massive than Pluto, wasn't discovered until 2005! And it comes in closer than Pluto's orbit too. Pluto's not a planet because if it were they'd have to admit there was ANOTHER PLANET unnoticed right in your back yard). Humans are basically blind to space, having extreme tunnel vision.
Trillions are wasted in pointless wars over privatization of industry, and the machines of war burned to make room for more such war spending, meanwhile not instead profiting far more lucratively from space exploration? The scaremongers haven't figured out that our own universe is a far more dangerous threat, and that actually saving the Earth is far more grandiose, expensive, and thus a more profitable venture that war? If fighting extinction through self sustaining off-world colonies isn't your #1 priority, then you're obviously not self aware enough to be deemed sentient. Thus, solves the Fermi Paradox: We gave you a warp drive, you'd stay on your wet rock and turn it into a bomb.
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We'd explore more if the politicians could figure out how to make money on it. As it stands, screwing with the people is much more lucrative.
Re:We're exploring space just fine (Score:4, Insightful)
I hitchhiked to Cape Canaveral for the third launch of Colombia, and went to the visitor's center there. Lying outside was a complete Saturn 5. Inside the visitor's center's museum was the matching LEM, Command Module and Rover. IIRC this was the assembly for the cancelled Apollo 19. Talking with staff at the center I found that there were three others scattered around the country, from the rest of the cancelled missions. They said that everything had been purchased and delivered for all four missions, even the fuel, and all that remained was the least expensive portion of the projects, conducting the actual missions. One of the other visitors who had joined the discussion said, "Since the only NASA and JPL would be necessary to that part there wasn't any need to fund it. Their real constituents, Boeing, Honeywell and such, had gotten their money already. Better to take the mission funding and spend it on killing brown people."
On my way back out I looked at that enormous, glorious marvel of engineering abandoned and baking in the sun and cried. The Shuttle launch was spectacular, but that image is the one that I still remember most vividly.
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Earth is 500,000 year over-due for a magnetic pole flip.
1. No it isn't. They're not clockwork.
2. Poles flipping won't physically affect us more than a weaker protection from UV, but no worse than Australia already has today. And a very interesting situation with migratory animals. Various devices might have issues, but seeing as it takes decades or more for the poles to completely change, we'll already have something to replace basic compass functions.
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from right here in our shirtsleeves sitting at a computer desk. I wonder why going up 0.1 Earth radii to stay within the Earth's atmosphere is "exploring space"...
... Earth is 500,000 year over-due for a magnetic pole flip.
...
Overdue?
Sorry, happened today: http://rt.com/news/sun-upside-down-flip-990/ [rt.com]
And look, we are still here. My internet still works.
Oh, happy new years
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You should learn the difference between the sun and the earth. They both have magnetic fields. The sun's flips regularly. The earth's, not so much.
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You should learn the difference between the sun and the earth. They both have magnetic fields. The sun's flips regularly. The earth's, not so much.
fuck, i'm getting schooled by an AC and they are correct.
What a way to start the New Year...
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It's been over four decades since humans were outside the magnetosphere. That's irresponsible for any sentient race capable of even a modicum of extra-planetary space exploration.
Only if they had the capability to run a long-term self-sustaining off-world colony...which we don't. Having a few people in a tin can who can only deplete their supplies and then wait for death wouldn't be helpful if Chicxulub 2 happens.
I wished they would stop calling it super earth (Score:4, Interesting)
As soon as it is obvious that a so called super earth is far to close to its sun to be inhabitable they should stop calling it like that.
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Super Earth is just saying "bigger than Earth (but smaller than Neptune.)" They're not implying any sort of habitability.
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Exactly my point. A misleading name.
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As soon as it is obvious that a so called super earth is far to close to its sun to be inhabitable they should stop calling it like that.
If they really want to get attention next time they'll call it "Super Earth 2000 Extreme (tm)"
French Fries (Score:4, Funny)
Let's see, wikipedia says it's as hot as an oven, seven times Earth's mass but far less dense; it isn't clear what gravity would be at its surface or even if it has a surface, if it does but it's possible you could put a bucket of corn oil with potatoes sliced into strips in it on the surface and get some pretty good french fries. [slashdot.org]
Of course, 42 light years is a little farther away than Jupiter.
Forty two light years... hmm... Could it be Magrathea?
In reality though (Score:2)
Hubble was looking at a giant mirror held up by the natives on said exoplanet.
They apparently think being discovered once is enough.
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seriously (Score:1)
Fahrenheit? Seriously? Stop using this shit. Drop yards and miles as well, while You are doing so.
Clouds that can use the Hubble telescope??? (Score:1)
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Would have made more sense. There is a dangling something or other in there.
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Researches Using Hubble Telescope Confirm Exoplanet Has Clouds
Would have made more sense. There is a dangling something or other in there.
I think this story must be cursed or something.
Anyhow, what we have in the story title is a misplaced modifier. The phrase "Using Hubble Telescope" functions as an adverb modifying the verb "confirm", but the editor has *misplaced* it in such a way that it could easily be misread as an adjective modifying "clouds". Yet while this modifier is misplaced, it is not quite "dangling"; to dangle it must refer to something that isn't in the sentence at all.
Dangling is usually the result of incomplete editing. Y
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Amazon is not happy to hear that.
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I would much rather hear (Score:2)
Explain the usage restrictions on image? (Score:2)
WTF? News organisations can, but but bloggers or amateur astronomers can't? Can't use it for reports about other things? It's a shitty low resolution image anyway. Are they scared someone will write an best selling game around it? Usual institutional anti-fair use paranoia off something prob