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Spectrographs

All articles tagged with #spectrographs

astronomy1 year ago•2 min saved

"Zombie Star Displays Metal Scar from Devouring Planets"

Astronomers using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope have discovered a metallic scar on a dying Earth-sized star, indicating the remains of a shredded planetoid or asteroid. The concentrated patch of planetary material is held in place by the star's magnetic field, challenging previous theories. This discovery sheds light on the destructive potential of stars and the nature of planetary material they consume, offering insights into the future fate of Earth as the Sun transforms into a red giant.

via IGN|

#astronomers #astronomy #cannibal-star

astronomy2 years ago•4 min saved

Webb Telescope captures turbulent weather on distant exoplanet.

The James Webb Space Telescope has detected silicate cloud features in the atmosphere of exoplanet VHS 1256 b, which is about 40 light-years away and orbits two stars. The planet's atmosphere is constantly rising, mixing, and moving during its 22-hour day, resulting in dramatic brightness changes. The team also detected water, methane, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide, making it the largest number of molecules ever identified on a planet outside our solar system. The researchers used two spectrographs aboard Webb to observe the planet's near- to mid-infrared light emitted and identified silicate clouds, water, methane, and carbon monoxide.

via Phys.org|

#astronomy #exoplanet #james-webb-space-telescope