First Astronomical Observation of Exoplanet Weather

Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz have observed changing weather patterns for the first time on a planet outside our own solar system.

Using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, the scientists observed an extrasolar planet known as HD80606b, a giant planet four times as large as Jupiter that orbits a star some 200 light years distant. As the planet orbits close to its sun, the normal 980°F surface temperature quickly heats up to around 2240°F.

Temperatures were determined from infrared measurements of the planet, and the data was used to simulate realistic weather patterns using a computer model. The massive dose of radiation received from such a close encounter with its sun creates global storms and shockwaves throughout the atmosphere, including winds estimated at speeds of up to 5 km/sec.

Discovered in 2001, HD80606b has the most eccentric orbit of any planet yet identified, completing an elliptical comet-like orbit in only 111 days. It approaches more than ten times closer to its star than does the planet Mercury, and completes this close transit in less than 24 hours.

These results were published in the January 29th issue of Nature.

Source: Yahoo!; Photo: ScienceDaily