First transiting exoplanet s chemical fingerprint reveals its distant birthplace eurekalert.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eurekalert.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Exoplanet’s ‘Chemical Fingerprint’ Reveals Distant Birthplace
April 7th 2021, 12:44 pm
Analysis by international team including University of Warwick of the first transiting exoplanet that was discovered has revealed six different chemicals in its atmosphere.
It is the first time that so many molecules have been measured, and points to an atmosphere with more carbon present than oxygen.
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Astronomers have found evidence that the first exoplanet that was identified transiting its star could have migrated to a close orbit with its star from its original birthplace further away.
Analysis of the planet’s atmosphere by a team including University of Warwick scientists has identified the chemical fingerprint of a planet that formed much further away from its sun than it currently resides. It confirms previous thinking that the planet has moved to its current position after forming, a mere 7 million km from its sun or the equivalent of 1/20th the dist