Astronomers found WASP-121b exoplanet with glowing water atmosphere

Astronomer’s using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have found that exoplanet WASP-121b which provides strongest evidence about existence of a stratosphere on it along with glowing water molecules.
The stratosphere is a layer of atmosphere in which temperature increases with higher altitudes.

Key Facts

Scientists had used spectroscopy in order to study the exoplanet’s stratosphere and to analyse how the planet’s brightness changed at different wavelengths of light. The discovery shows common trait of most of the atmospheres in our solar system, which is a warm stratosphere and can also be found in the atmospheres of exoplanets. This phenomenon can be compared with the same processes that happen under different sets of conditions in our own solar system.

About WASP-121b exoplanet

The WASP-121b exoplanet is gas giant commonly referred to as a ‘hot Jupiter’. It has 1.2 times greater mass and 1.9 times greater radius than Jupiter. It is located approximately 900 light years from Earth. It orbits around its host star every 1.3 days in very close proximity.

Month: Current Affairs - August, 2017