                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                 2024 July 8
      A graphic illustrates hundreds of possible exoplanets, with blue
     drawings of planets in the middle, red on the right, and tan on the
   left. Some exoplanets are drawn with rings. Please see the explanation
                       for more detailed information.

                         Exoplanet Zoo: Other Stars
        Illustration Credit & Copyright: Martin Vargic, Halcyon Maps

   Explanation: Do other stars have planets like our Sun? Surely they do,
   and evidence includes slight star wobbles created by the gravity of
   orbiting exoplanets and slight star dimmings caused by orbiting planets
   moving in front. In all, there have now been over 5,500 exoplanets
   discovered, including thousands by NASA's space-based Kepler and TESS
   missions, and over 100 by ESO's ground-based HARPS instrument. Featured
   here is an illustrated guess as to what some of these exoplanets might
   look like. Neptune-type planets occupy the middle and are colored blue
   because of blue-scattering atmospheric methane they might contain. On
   the sides of the illustration, Jupiter-type planets are shown, colored
   tan and red from the scatterings of atmospheric gases that likely
   include small amounts of carbon. Interspersed are many Earth-type rocky
   planets of many colors. As more exoplanets are discovered and
   investigated, humanity is developing a better understanding of how
   common Earth-like planets are, and how common life might be in the
   universe.

                     Tomorrow's picture: highest clouds
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

