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NewsAlert: NASA Infra-Red Probe Reveals Super Earth's Direct Light



NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope was able to detect a super Earth's direct light for the first time using its sensitive heat-seeking infrared vision. While the planet is not habitable, the detection is a historic step toward the eventual search for signs of life on other planets. 

Super Earth's are more massive than Earth but lighter than gas giants like Neptune. As the image above shows, in visible light, a planet is lost in the glare of its star (top view). When viewed in infrared, the planet becomes brighter relative to its star. This is largely due to the fact that the planet's scorching heat blazes with infrared light. Even on our own bodies emanate more infrared light than visible due to our heat. 

"The spacecraft is pioneering the study of atmospheres of distant planets and paving the way for NASA's upcoming James Webb Space Telescope to apply a similar technique on potentially habitable planets," said Bill Danchi, Spitzer program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. 











The Daily Galaxy via http://spitzer.caltech.edu 

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech





When pictures such as the one accompanying this article are artist's renderings, they should be clearly labeled as such. How many readers of this article, will walk away thinking that this 'image' is an actual photo of a planet that is 41 light years away. While the article itself only refers to an 'image' and does not claim to be an actual photograph, it may be interpreted as such by a large segment of the general public. This lack of unambiguous disclosure seems to be an increasingly common problem in several scientific fields.

Good one, Rob !

I think people will figure it out Rob lol

Something NOT MENTIONED in the above "news alert is the APPARENT lack of transfer of heat from the eternal (because the planet is tidally locked) dayside to the nightside. If this is true, then a huge "ISLAND" of ice 7 may exist on the side of the planet opposite to its solar point. The water surrounging the island would be superfluid instead of supercritical. Supercritical water would flow over the island, but then turn superfluid and rain down on the island. the rain would turn to ice 7 when the temperature gets below 1500F and the pressure becomes far greater than the pressure at the bottom of challenger deep. The most amazing thing about this scenario is that the JWST may be able to see this island, because it appears that the steam atmosphere is so undense that Spitzer is actually seeing the low albedo supercritical water "ocean" through a transparent steam atmosphere.

I agree Rob....more clarity is never a bad thing.
With this website though...its not claiming to be a scientific representation
and is more of a popsci kind of thing. I would love to see the real data.

It says that the amount of light decreases when the planet goes behind the star as we don't detect the planet's light anymore. However, when the planet is in front of the star, doesn't the amount of star's light reduce as well because the planet is blocking some of the star's light?

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