artist's rendition/NASA
In a recent discovery, scientists have found that a planet in close astronomical proximity to our planet has the same deep blue hue that characterizes Earth.
Known as HD 189733b, the planet is a gas giant circling a star about 63 light years away from Earth in Vulpecula constellation.
The planet was not unknown to astronomers, but for the first its color was made 'visible' by more precise measurements. That allowed astronomers to create an artistic rendition of what the planet would look like if it was closer to us.
Its deep cobalt blue hue were detected by Hubble's enhanced capabilities. The planet, throughout its transit in front of Hubble, stayed a deep blue hue, which indicated that this was indeed the planet's true color.
The blue of Earth is a gift of refraction of the oceans' blue waters. Uranus and Neptune are also blue to certain degree, thanks to methane in their atmospheres.
The new planet however, has been determined to be blue probably thanks to silicates in the planet's atmosphere. It is a very hot planet, being so close to its parent star, that its surface temperature is estimated to be around 1800 degrees F. The silicates therefore can condense into tiny beads of glass, that travel the atmosphere around the planet at the incredible rate of 7,000 miles per hour.
Scientists however, say that the silicate theory is only one of many that could explain the beautiful hue. It could also be a product of carbon compounds or sulfur compounds, although behaviorally less likely.
If someone were to visit the planet, it would be blue on approach, but once through that atmosphere, the planet would appear red, and without a surface, since it is a gas giant. On the 'night' side of the planet, the red glow of the hot star would break through the blue atmosphere. So the blue hue is only visible on the illuminated side that faces its parent star.
Source: Alan Boyle/NBC science/ 7.11.13
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