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Thursday, March 28, 2024
Home As starlight passes through the atmosphere of a planet, different molecules absorb specific wavelengths. This graph shows the light that has passed through the atmosphere of planet GJ 1132 b, revealing the presence of methane molecules and haze (aerosols). (NASA/ESA/P. Jeffries (STScI)) As starlight passes through the atmosphere of a planet, different molecules absorb specific wavelengths. This graph shows the light that has passed through the atmosphere of planet GJ 1132 b, revealing the presence of methane molecules and haze (aerosols). (NASA/ESA/P. Jeffries (STScI))

As starlight passes through the atmosphere of a planet, different molecules absorb specific wavelengths. This graph shows the light that has passed through the atmosphere of planet GJ 1132 b, revealing the presence of methane molecules and haze (aerosols). (NASA/ESA/P. Jeffries (STScI))

As starlight passes through the atmosphere of a planet, different molecules absorb specific wavelengths. This graph shows the light that has passed through the atmosphere of planet GJ 1132 b, revealing the presence of methane molecules and haze (aerosols). (NASA/ESA/P. Jeffries (STScI))

As starlight passes through the atmosphere of a planet, different molecules absorb specific wavelengths. This graph shows the light that has passed through the atmosphere of planet GJ 1132 b, revealing the presence of methane molecules and haze (aerosols). (NASA/ESA/P. Jeffries (STScI))

The hazy atmosphere of the Earth-size rocky exoplanet GJ 1132 b contains a toxic mix of hydrogen, methane, and hydrogen cyanide. These gasses may come from molten lava beneath the planet’s thin crust. The gravitational pull from another planet in the system likely fractures GJ 1132 b’s surface to resemble a cracked eggshell. (NASA/ESA/R. Hurt (IPAC/Caltech))