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Planetary science

A cloudy view of exoplanets

Nature volume 468, pages 636–637 (2010)Cite this article

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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

Sometimes the most telling evidence comes not from what is observed but from what is not observed. On page 669 of this issue, Bean and colleagues1 report results of the latter type for the transiting 'super-Earth' exoplanet GJ 1214b.

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Figure 1: Possible exoplanet atmospheres.

References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Drake Deming is in the Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA. leo.d.deming@nasa.gov,

    Drake Deming

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  1. Drake Deming
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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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