Hot Jupiter

Astronomers have discovered water vapor, heavy clouds and weather phenomena on the distant planet HD 189733b. As reported by Nature magazine, scientists previously found traces of carbon dioxide and methane in the exoplanet's atmosphere.

The planet with the simple name HD 189733b is located in the constellation Vulpecula at a distance of 63 light years from Earth. It is similar in size to Jupiter, but much hotter. Its orbit passes too close to the star, so the temperature on the surface of HD 189733b exceeds 1000 degrees. The period of revolution around the star is 2.2 Earth days. Moreover, the planet is always turned to the star with one side.

To study the atmosphere of hot Jupiter, Carl Grillmair, an astronomer at the Spitzer Science Center in Pasadena, California, used the NICMOS Infrared Camera and Multipurpose Spectrometer on the Spitzer Infrared Telescope.

To exclude light from the planet's star from the spectrum, Grillmair and his colleagues used the "secondary eclipse" method. First, scientists recorded light from the planet and its star. And then they divided the spectrum, excluding from it the spectrogram of the star, which was recorded at the moment when the planet was behind the star and was not visible. Using the results obtained, scientists were able to determine the composition of the exoplanet's atmosphere.

During the research, an important discovery was made. Water was discovered for the first time in the atmosphere of hot Jupiter. Previously, when studying HD 189733b, no water molecules were found, which was a mystery to researchers. As Grillmair suggests, water was hidden from the eyes of scientists due to the fact that powerful clouds were discovered on the planet, which simply did not allow them to detect those layers of clouds that contain water molecules.

In addition, scientists suggest that various weather phenomena can occur on this planet: strong winds blow at speeds of thousands of kilometers per hour and even thunderstorms. For now, this is just a theory that remains to be tested. In January-February, astronomers should receive new data that will help them learn even more about the climate of this planet.

HD 189733b is one of about 300 exoplanets, the first of which was discovered in 1995. Astronomers are confident that it is only a matter of time before the discovery of a planet similar in size and atmospheric composition to Earth that harbors life.

Zakhar RADOV