Comparison of WASP-121b stratosphere with brown dwarf atmosphere
This diagram presents evidence for the existence of a stratosphere on a planet orbiting another star. As on Earth, the stratosphere increases in temperature with altitude. The water emissions from the Jupiter-sized planet's upper atmosphere show this. The results are in marked contrast to the spectrum of a failed star, a brown dwarf, which shows water absorption because the atmosphere is cooling with altitude increase.
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Credit:NASA, ESA, and A. Feild (STScI)
About the Image
NASA press release
NASA caption
NASA caption
| Id: | opo1731b |
| Type: | Artwork |
| Release date: | 3 August 2017, 11:24 |
| Size: | 2500 x 2496 px |
About the Object
| Name: | WASP-121b |
| Type: | Milky Way : Planet |
| Distance: | 900 light years |
| Category: | Exoplanets |
