There is a pink exoplanet circling a star very much like our own, 57 light-years away from Earth. But its origins are a mystery.
In a new study announcing the magenta gas giant, researchers were able to directly image this exoplanet using the Subaru telescope on Hawaii. The color of this blushing body indicates it has less cloud cover than other observed exoplanets, meaning researchers can peer even deeper into its atmosphere to divine its components. (Related: “For First Time, Astronomers Read Exoplanet’s Color.”)
“If we could travel to this giant planet, we would see a world still glowing from the heat of its formation with a color reminiscent of a dark cherry blossom, a dull magenta,” said Michael McElwain, an astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Facility in Maryland and a study co-author, in a statement.
It’s one of only five or six exoplanets whose presence has been directly imaged by a telescope, rather than inferred from observing stars, said Markus Janson, an astrophysicist at Princeton University and a co-author of the new study.
Other planets that have been directly imaged orbit much more massive stars, he added. “In that sense, [the pink planet] feels a bit closer to home.” (Related: “First Pictures of Alien Planet System Revealed.”)
At about 460°F (237°C), this gas giant probably wouldn’t be a very pleasant place to visit. But researchers are still interested in this lightweight—it’s one of the lowest-mass exoplanets found around a sun-like star using direct detection methods. (Related: “Smallest Exoplanets Found—Each Tinier Than Earth.”)
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http://news.nationalgeographic.co.uk/news/2013/08/130808-exoplanet-pink-low-mass-star-space-science/
Newly Discovered Pink Exoplanet on the Lighter Side
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