Hubble image archive
Artist's Illustration of Exoplanet HAT-P-11b
A Neptune-size planet with a clear atmosphere is shown crossing in front of its star in this artist's depiction. Such crossings, or transits, are observed by telescopes like NASA's Hubble and Spitzer to glean information about planets' atmospheres. As starlight passes through a p...
- Date
- Jan 1, 2014
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-2014-42-3430-image
A Neptune-size planet with a clear atmosphere is shown crossing in front of its star in this artist's depiction. Such crossings, or transits, are observed by telescopes like NASA's Hubble and Spitzer to glean information about planets' atmospheres. As starlight passes through a planet's atmosphere, atoms and molecules absorb light at certain wavelengths, blocking it from the telescope's view. The more light a planet blocks, the larger the planet appears. By analyzing the amount of light blocked by the planet at different wavelengths, researchers can determine which molecules make up the atmosphere.
The problem with this technique is that sometimes planets have thick clouds that block any light from coming through, hiding the signature of the molecules in the atmosphere. This is particularly true of the handful of Neptune-sized and super-Earth planets examined to date, all of which appear to be cloudy.
As a result, astronomers were elated to find clear skies on a Neptune-sized planet called HAT-P-11b, as illustrated here. Without clouds to block their view, they were able to identify water vapor molecules in the planet's atmosphere. The blue rim of the planet in this image is due to scattered light, while the orange rim on the part of the planet in front of the star indicates the region where water vapor was detected.
Credits
NASA, ESA, and R. Hurt (JPL-Caltech)Image Details
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | HAT-P-11b |
| Object Description | Neptune-size planet outside our solar system (exoplanet) |
| R.A. Position | 19h 50m 50s.25 |
| Dec. Position | +48° 04' 51".08 |
| Constellation | Cygnus |
| Distance | 120 light-years (37 parsecs) |
| 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). |
| Instrument | HST>WFC3/IR |
| Exposure Dates | October 18, 2012, and December 15/16, 2012 |
| Filters | Grating: G141 |
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