Absence of Water in Distant Planet's Atmosphere Surprises Astronomers

A team of astronomers led by Carl Grillmair (Spitzer Science Center) and David Charbonneau (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics) announced today that they have directly measured the first spectrum from a known planet orbiting a distant star. Two other teams made a similar measurement of a different extrasolar planet. Taken together, this pioneering work opens a new field of planetary exploration, allowing astronomers to directly analyze the atmospheres of worlds beyond our solar system.

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<p><a href="http://www.physorg.com/news91288154.html">Absence of Water in Distant Planet's Atmosphere Surprises Astronomers</a></p> <p>A team of astronomers led by Carl Grillmair (Spitzer Science Center) and David Charbonneau (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics) announced today that they have directly measured the first spectrum from a known planet orbiting a distant star. Two other teams made a similar measurement of a different extrasolar planet. Taken together, this pioneering work opens a new field of planetary exploration, allowing astronomers to directly analyze the atmospheres of worlds beyond our solar system.</p>