Exploring the atmosphere of exoplanet WASP-14b
Tuesday, November 15, 2011 - 12:31
in Astronomy & Space
First discovered in 2008, WASP 14b is an interesting exoplanet. It is roughly seven times as massive as Jupiter, but only 30% larger, making it among the densest known exoplanets. Recently, it was the target of observations from the Spitzer space telescope which was able to pick out the infrared radiation emitted by the planet and is giving astronomers new clues to how the atmospheres of Hot Jupiters function, contradicting expectations based on observations of other exoplanet atmospheres.