Astronomers have discovered the ‘primitive atmosphere’ surrounding a planet ‘Warm Neptune’ with the help of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer Space Telescope.
The study revealed that the exoplanet — found around 430 light years from Earth — has an atmosphere that composed almost entirely of hydrogen and helium, with a relatively cloudless sky.
In order to study the atmosphere of the planet — named HAT-P-26b — the researchers used data collected when the planet passed in front of its host star, events known as transits.
In our solar system, the metallicity in Jupiter (5 times greater than the sun) and Saturn (10 times) suggest these ‘Gas Giants’ are made almost entirely of hydrogen and helium.
Neptune and Uranus, however, are richer in the heavier elements, with metallicities of about 100 times that of the sun.