It was surprising to find evidence for clouds on an exoplanet that was thought to have clear skies.
The transmission spectrum for WASP-96b was released by NASA as part of the first set of science data. WasP-96b is a gas giant that is very close to its star. Almost 200 exoplanets have been discovered with the use of robotic cameras in the Canary Islands and South Africa.
Molecules can be seen in the planet's atmosphere as it transits or in front of its star. Molecules in the planet's atmosphere block the star's light from hitting us. The atmosphere's chemical composition is described by the formation of absorption lines in the spectrum. The spectrum is reversed so that it's easier to see where the most light has been blocked.
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NASA officials said in a statement that the absorption signature of water in WASP-96b's atmosphere, as well as evidence for clouds and a hazy sky, was detected by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Clouds can obscure some of the signals coming from beneath them.
Astronomers concluded that WASP-96b had no clouds after detecting a strong signature of sodium in the atmosphere. The findings have been supported by recent observations at Las Campanas Observatory.
Astronomers are trying to understand the relationship between WASP-96b's atmosphere and its cloud levels by reanalyzing the previous optical observations.
We know that there is no life as we know it on WASP-96b. WASP-96b is a bloated gas giant that is so close to its star that it takes just 3.4 Earth days to complete one circle. The atmosphere of WASP-96b is 1.2 times the diameter of Jupiter because of the heat.
The findings show that he has a great deal of power. The Hubble Space Telescope was the first to detect water in an exoplanet's atmosphere. The absorption lines belonging to water were picked out by the Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph in just one 6.4-hour observation. The most detailed transmission spectrum ever taken of an exoplanet is the result of the process.
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