A spectrum of an extrasolar planet

L. Jeremy Richardson (), Drake Deming, Karen Horning, Sara Seager and Joseph Harrington
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L. Jeremy Richardson: Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Laboratory, Mail Code 667
Drake Deming: Planetary Systems Laboratory, Mail Code 693, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
Karen Horning: Florida Institute of Technology, 150 West University Boulevard, Melbourne, Florida 32901, USA
Sara Seager: Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5241 Broad Branch Rd, NW, Washington DC 20015, USA
Joseph Harrington: University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816, USA

Nature, 2007, vol. 445, issue 7130, 892-895

Abstract: A planet shows its colours Just detecting an extrasolar planet is quite a feat; but one that has now been achieved over 200 times and astronomers are now developing ways of actually observing them. Of the known extrasolar planets, 14 exhibit transits in front of their parent stars as seen from Earth. For them, spectroscopy can probe the physical conditions of their atmospheres and in theory, subtracting the spectrum seen with the planet 'behind' its star from that seen when it is 'in front', should leave us with the actual spectrum of an extrasolar planet. Practice has now caught up with theory, and using the Spitzer Space Telescope, an infrared spectrum has been obtained for the transiting 'hot Jupiter' HD 209458b. It shows a peak centred near 9.65 µm, attributed to emission by silicate clouds, and a narrow, unidentified feature at 7.78 µm.

Date: 2007
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DOI: 10.1038/nature05636

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