Those Exoplanets Ain’t So Cool — They’re Hot! Astronomy News with The Cosmic Companion April 29, 2020
Many worlds orbiting alien stars should be much hotter than what astronomers are seeing. Why do they look so cool?
A new mathematical model shows exoplanets are warmer than they appear to astronomers, and that makes for some strange conditions on alien worlds.
By James Maynard
Hot Jupiters are not found in our solar system, but astronomers have detected evidence showing large populations of these massive worlds in other star systems, huddling close to their parent suns.
For five years, papers showed an unusual trend showing up in studies of these exoplanets— temperatures of these worlds were consistently lower than predictions suggested. Even temperatures on worlds of molten rock were seen to be significantly lower than predictions predicted. This suggested something was unusual — either with theories, observations, or calculations.
Read more: https://bit.ly/Exoplanets-Aint-so-Cool
This week on Astronomy News with the Cosmic Companion, we feature our first-ever video interview, as we talk to Dr. Steven D’Hondt of the University of Rhode Island, who headed the first two drilling expeditions ever carried out to search for life under the ocean floor. Watch the video version of the show, or listen to any episode as a podcast.
video:
https://thecosmiccompanion.net/astronomy-news-with-the-cosmic-companion
podcast:
https://thecosmiccompanion.net/astronomy_podcast
Next week (Tuesday, May 5): I interview Dr. Ann Virkki, head of planetary radar studies at Arecibo Observatory, who discovered the “face mask” on asteroid 1998 OR2 that passes Earth today (April 29).
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- James