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Planetary science

A cloudy view of exoplanets

The lack of absorption features in the transmission spectrum of exoplanet GJ 1214b rules out a hydrogen-rich atmosphere for the planet. It is consistent with an atmosphere rich in water vapour or abundant in clouds. See Letter p.669

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Figure 1: Possible exoplanet atmospheres.

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Deming, D. A cloudy view of exoplanets. Nature 468, 636–637 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/468636a

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