Astronomers find exoplanet with cloud-free atmosphere
London, May 8: Astronomers have found that a planet outside our solar system, which is similar to Saturn in mass and exceeds the size of Jupiter by 20 per cent, has an atmosphere free of clouds.
The hot gas giant, WASP-96b, periodically transits a Sun-like star 980 light years away in the southern constellation Phoenix.
Using the the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile, the team studied the atmosphere of WASP-96b when the planet passed in front of its host-star.
This enabled the team to measure the decrease of starlight caused by the planet and its atmosphere, and thereby determine the planet's atmospheric composition.
"We've been looking at more than twenty exoplanet transit spectra. WASP-96b is the only exoplanet that appears to be entirely cloud-free and shows such a clear sodium signature, making the planet a benchmark for characterisation," said lead author of the study Nikolay Nikolov from University of Exeter in Britain.
Just like an individual's fingerprints are unique, atoms and molecules have a unique spectral characteristic that can be used to detect their presence in celestial objects.
The spectrum of WASP-96b shows the complete fingerprint of sodium, which can only be observed for an atmosphere free of clouds, according to the study published in the journal Nature.
It has long been predicted that sodium exists in the atmospheres of hot gas-giant exoplanets, and in a cloud-free atmosphere it would produce spectra that are similar in shape to the profile of a camping tent.
"Until now, sodium was revealed either as a very narrow peak or found to be completely missing. This is because the characteristic 'tent-shaped' profile can only be produced deep in the atmosphere of the planet and for most planet clouds appear to get in the way," Nikolov added.
Clouds and hazes are known to exist in some of the hottest and coldest solar system planets and exoplanets.
The presence or absence of clouds and their ability to block light plays an important role in the overall energy budget of planetary atmospheres.
"It is difficult to predict which of these hot atmospheres will have thick clouds. By seeing the full range of possible atmospheres, from very cloudy to nearly cloud-free like WASP-96b, we'll gain a better understanding of what these clouds are made of," explains study co-author Jonathan Fortney, Professor at University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), US.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
"He was forced to take them": Warne's son says COVID vaccines caused legend's death
Sydney, Apr 13 (PTI): Four years after Shane Warne's death left the cricketing world in shock, his son Jackson has asserted that the spin legend's demise was probably caused by the "three or four" COVID vaccines that he was "forced to take for work."
Speaking on '2 Worlds Collide podcast', Jackson, however, also acknowledged that his father had underlying health issues. Warne was 52 when he died in Thailand in 2022 after suffering a heart attack.
"I definitely think that it (COVID vaccine) was involved. I don't even think saying that is controversial anymore. Even if dad had underlying health issues, I think this brought it out right to the surface and that's one thing that I've always struggled with," Jackson said.
ALSO READ: T20 WC star Samson named ICC Men's Player of the Month for March
"My first impression, as soon as I hung up the phone (after receiving the news of Warne's death), I instantly blamed the government. I instantly blamed COVID and the vaccine."
Jackson said he barely managed to stop himself from vocalising his exact thoughts at the memorial service.
"It was probably smart I didn't, I would be in a very different position if I did. But that was how I felt," Jackson said.
"Yes, a lot of people were dying of heart attacks before. But dad was okay, I think he might have got three or four (vaccine doses), he didn't want to get them, he was forced to get them for work. He was forced to get them like everybody else," he asserted.
"...I try not to think about it too much because all that does is fester into anger. That anger is not good for anybody," he added.
ALSO READ: CM Naidu launches quantum facility in Amaravati to boost indigenous hardware ecosystem
Giving an insight into the lifestyle of his father, who was known to be indulgent, Jackson said it was relatively healthy despite the smoking and drinking.
"Dad, at the time, was healthy, he was happy. He looked the best he had in a while. Yes, he smoked and drank, but so many more people in their 80s and 90s still smoke and drink a lot more than dad," he said.
Warne had contracted COVID a few months before his death during his 2021 coaching stint with The Hundred event in England.
However, he was not known to have any major ailment at the time of his stunning demise.
_vb_32.jpeg)