The top graph consists of infrared data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. It tells astronomers that a distant planet, called
The top graph consists of infrared data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. It tells astronomers that a distant planet, called Upsilon Andromeda b, always has a giant hot spot on the side that faces the star, while the other side is cold and dark. The artist's concept above the graph illustrate how the planet might look throughout its orbit if viewed up close with infrared eyes. . The bottom graph and artist's concepts represent what astronomers might have seen if the planet had bands of different temperatures girdling it, like Jupiter. Some astronomers had speculated that 'hot-Jupiter' planets like Upsilon Andromeda b, which circle very closely around their stars, might resemble Jupiter in this way.
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Photo credit: © World History Archive / Alamy / Afripics
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