http://www.universetoday.com/2009/01/14/ground-based-telescopes-observe-atmospheres-of-exoplanets/ Space and astronomy news Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:17:24 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 http://www.universetoday.com/2009/01/14/ground-based-telescopes-observe-atmospheres-of-exoplanets/comment-page-1/#comment-50325 Jon Hanford Sat, 17 Jan 2009 17:37:33 +0000 http://www.universetoday.com/?p=23622#comment-50325 Any chance that large Earth-bound observatories, HST or Spitzer may be able to unambiguously detect elements or hi-temp compounds in the atmospheres of these planets? I realize that disentangling these complex spectra will not be easy, but is it now possible to do so (however crudely), or will this have to await larger ground-based telescopes or the likes of the Webb Space Telescope? Expanding on B Davis post above, would large radio telescope networks (VLBI comes to mind) be of any use with objects of this type? Could a radio interferometers' extremely high resolution be of any use, if not to chemically characterize atmospheric constituents, than to provide other useful properties of these transiting exoplanets (e.g. precise orbital predictions, magnetic fields (if any), debris disks, planet and atmospheric densities and more precise temperatures, etc)? Any chance that large Earth-bound observatories, HST or Spitzer may be able to unambiguously detect elements or hi-temp compounds in the atmospheres of these planets? I realize that disentangling these complex spectra will not be easy, but is it now possible to do so (however crudely), or will this have to await larger ground-based telescopes or the likes of the Webb Space Telescope? Expanding on B Davis post above, would large radio telescope networks (VLBI comes to mind) be of any use with objects of this type? Could a radio interferometers' extremely high resolution be of any use, if not to chemically characterize atmospheric constituents, than to provide other useful properties of these transiting exoplanets (e.g. precise orbital predictions, magnetic fields (if any), debris disks, planet and atmospheric densities and more precise temperatures, etc)?

]]> http://www.universetoday.com/2009/01/14/ground-based-telescopes-observe-atmospheres-of-exoplanets/comment-page-1/#comment-50067 Bill Davis Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:01:39 +0000 http://www.universetoday.com/?p=23622#comment-50067 The results look to be based only on thermal heating. Recently the Cluster satellites discovered (confirmed) that the Earth and Sun are connected by "magnetic ropy structures", in other words, spiraling electric (ions + electrons) currents. We also note the Jupiter/Io flux tube measured at a millon amperes. It seems predictable that a giant planet so close...deeply embedded, really...in the host star's plasmasphere, will exhibit strong electromagnetic coupling with the star. That would change the energy balance and so I wonder if the researchers have plans to include this consideration in the theory governing the energy balance. The results look to be based only on thermal heating. Recently the Cluster satellites discovered (confirmed) that the Earth and Sun are connected by "magnetic ropy structures", in other words, spiraling electric (ions + electrons) currents. We also note the Jupiter/Io flux tube measured at a millon amperes. It seems predictable that a giant planet so close…deeply embedded, really…in the host star's plasmasphere, will exhibit strong electromagnetic coupling with the star. That would change the energy balance and so I wonder if the researchers have plans to include this consideration in the theory governing the energy balance.

]]> http://www.universetoday.com/2009/01/14/ground-based-telescopes-observe-atmospheres-of-exoplanets/comment-page-1/#comment-50034 Garry Pilkington Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:27:54 +0000 http://www.universetoday.com/?p=23622#comment-50034 Added to the Astronomy Link List Added to the Astronomy Link List

]]> http://www.universetoday.com/2009/01/14/ground-based-telescopes-observe-atmospheres-of-exoplanets/comment-page-1/#comment-49996 Daniel Fischer Thu, 15 Jan 2009 01:36:42 +0000 http://www.universetoday.com/?p=23622#comment-49996 The TrES-3b link doesn't point to the paper (yet), but you can <a href="http://arxiv.org/abs/0901.1878" rel="nofollow">find a preprint here</a>. The TrES-3b link doesn't point to the paper (yet), but you can find a preprint here.

]]> http://www.universetoday.com/2009/01/14/ground-based-telescopes-observe-atmospheres-of-exoplanets/comment-page-1/#comment-49993 Nancy Atkinson Thu, 15 Jan 2009 01:27:11 +0000 http://www.universetoday.com/?p=23622#comment-49993 Andy- Yes, it should be "towards the center" and so I've updated the text. Thanks. Andy-
Yes, it should be "towards the center" and so I've updated the text.
Thanks.

]]> http://www.universetoday.com/2009/01/14/ground-based-telescopes-observe-atmospheres-of-exoplanets/comment-page-1/#comment-49991 andy Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:10:32 +0000 http://www.universetoday.com/?p=23622#comment-49991 5,000 light years away is close to the galactic centre? Last I heard the galactic centre is somewhere around 25,000 light years away. "In the direction of the galactic centre" perhaps? 5,000 light years away is close to the galactic centre? Last I heard the galactic centre is somewhere around 25,000 light years away. "In the direction of the galactic centre" perhaps?

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