Exoplanet WASP-121b
WASP 121b is an extrasolar planet orbiting the star WASP-121, approximately 850 light years away from Earth, in the constellation Puppis. These simulated views of the planet, an 'ultrahot Jupiter', show what the planet might look like to the human eye from five different vantage points, illuminated to different degrees by its parent star. Hot Jupiters are exoplanets that are similar to our solar system’s gas giant Jupiter but have a short orbital period. Ultrahot Jupiters reflect almost no light. But the daysides of these planets have temperatures of between 3600F and 5400F (2000C and 3000C), so the planets produce their own glow. The orange color in this simulated image is thus from the planet's own heat. The computer model was based on observations of WASP-121b conducted using NASA's Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes.
Size: 14290px × 9466px
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Photo credit: © Science History Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: alien, art, astronomic, astronomical, astronomy, atmosphere, crescent, deep, exoplanet, exploration, extrasolar, gas, giant, hot, jupiter, outer, planet, planetary, space, stratosphere, system, ultrahot, wasp-121b, water, world
