NASA's Hubble Telescope Makes First Atmospheric Study of Earth-Sized Exoplanets
Wednesday, July 20, 2016 - 12:41
in Astronomy & Space
Astronomers have used Hubble to conduct the first search for atmospheres around temperate, Earth-sized planets beyond our solar system, uncovering clues that increase the chances of habitability on two exoplanets. They discovered that the exoplanets TRAPPIST-1b and TRAPPIST-1c, approximately 40 light-years away, are unlikely to have puffy, hydrogen-dominated atmospheres usually found on gaseous worlds.