NASA, ESA G. e Bacon (STScI)Illustration of HAT-P-7b, one of six exoplanets studied: clear skies and scorching heat in the afternoonsNASA, ESA G. e Bacon (STScI)
The climates of six giant extrasolar planets discovered by NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope, each approximately as large as Jupiter, may vary significantly throughout the day. A study published by astrophysicists from York University and the University of Toronto, in Canada, reveals evidence that mornings on four exoplanets (Kepler-7b, Kepler-8b, Kepler-12b, and Kepler-41b) tend to be dark and cloudy (The Astrophysical Journal, May 12, 2015). On two other extrasolar worlds (Kepler-76b and HAT-P-7b), the afternoons are extremely hot, with clear skies. To obtain data about their atmospheric properties, the scientists measured the changing phases – or variations in brightness – of these planets as they orbited their respective suns. “Although we have discovered thousands of extrasolar planets, it remains a mystery how these distant worlds can look alike,” says Lisa Esteves from the University of Toronto, principal author of the study. Over the past two decades, almost 5,500 candidate planets have been identified outside the solar system. More than 1,800 of them have had their existence confirmed. In the near future, astrophysicists hope to measure the climate variations on smaller, rocky – in other words, Earth-like – extrasolar planets.
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