Slashdot Mirror
NASA's Hubble Captures Blistering Pitch-Black Planet (scienmag.com)
schwit1 writes: NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has observed a planet outside our solar system that looks as black as fresh asphalt because it eats light rather than reflecting it back into space. This light-eating prowess is due to the planet's unique capability to trap at least 94 percent of the visible starlight falling into its atmosphere. The oddball exoplanet, called WASP-12b, is one of a class of so-called "hot Jupiters," gigantic, gaseous planets that orbit very close to their host star and are heated to extreme temperatures. The planet's atmosphere is so hot that most molecules are unable to survive on the blistering day side of the planet, where the temperature is 4,600 degrees Fahrenheit. Therefore, clouds probably cannot form to reflect light back into space. Instead, incoming light penetrates deep into the planet's atmosphere where it is absorbed by hydrogen atoms and converted to heat energy. "We did not expect to find such a dark exoplanet," said Taylor Bell of McGill University and the Institute for Research on Exoplanets in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, lead researcher of the Hubble study. "Most hot Jupiters reflect about 40 percent of starlight."
Seriously?
https://www.nasa.gov/offices/oce/functions/standards/isu.html
If we find giant biomechanical bugs around it, let's worry, the protein banks are not a fun vacation destination.
At roughly 2300 Kelvin the planet should emit a dim glow, centered somewhere in the (near) infrared?
What's that in proper units?
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pitch_black/
4600ÂF = 2540ÂC
nonsense, they found Disaster Area's spaceship!
"It was a ship of classic, simple design, like a flattened salmon, twenty yards long, very clean, very sleek. There was just one remarkable thing about it.
"It's so ... black!" said Ford Prefect, "you can hardly make out its shape ... light just seems to fall into it!"
Zaphod said nothing. He had simply fallen in love.
The blackness of it was so extreme that it was almost impossible to tell how close you were standing to it."
This is NASA, come on, a science institution. Using Fahrenheit?
They should use Kelvin!
This is dumbing down science just so that Trump understands it!
Atari rules... ermm... ruled.
nuff said
Or what?
It could just be chemistry, but that's the sort of thing that'd indicate some sort of advanced civilization.
This is what Earth will look like in the future.
Its blacker than my cousin Femi fam, and he's from Africa!
The planet is indeed emitting infrared light. Not all light is visible.
"The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
This is dumbing down science just so that Trump understands it!
Given that he's also the one who is talking about budgets and cuts,
I think you understood wyh the EXTREME vulgarisation of the NASA.
(And with some luck, he might also confuse them with NSA and shower them with money. who knows ?...)
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
Now we know where they all went! I can't wait to drive on it!
I am not interested in articles about life extension advancements.
Boy am I glad all other problems in this third-world shitty ass city are solved!!!
I don't understand sarcasm.
I like my dinosaurs feathery, and my pterosaurs hairy (or is it pycnofibery?)
This light-eating prowess is due to the planet's unique capability to trap at least 94 percent of the visible starlight falling into its atmosphere.
"This light-eating prowess is due to the planet's unique capability to eat light."
Thank you for that useful information... /grumpyoldman
That this is a death star.
Dark Planets for a Dark Matter Star, using Dark Energy...
We're all going dark...
to welcome the black balls in the sky overlords :P
Priest: Imagine for a moment that this thing is not anything that can be identified because it prefers not to be. Wherever there is life, it brings death, because it is evil, absolute evil.
President: One more reason to shoot first.
Priest: Evil begets evil, Mr. President. Shooting will only make it stronger.
#DeleteFacebook
The summary states that "NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has observed a planet ... that looks as black as fresh asphalt". So, where's the photo of the planet?
If I owned Hell and this planet. I would rent this planet and live in Hell.
This isn't Giedi Prime of "Dune"?
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has observed a planet outside our solar system that looks as black as fresh asphalt because it eats light rather than reflecting it back into space.
Or, to put it another, slightly less flowery way, because it's black.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
DEFINITELY the clearest Hubble picture I've ever seen! This telescope is definitely better than the last one!
Sounds an awful lot like this triple-max slam in the outer ring ... Crematoria, I think it's called. I would suggest that you keep an eye out for a bald guy if you ever visit, but by the time you realize he's there, it's too late.
[as the Federation ships prepare to fire on the dark planet]
Scientist's Aide: Its structure has just solidified on the surface.
Head Scientist: I think it's anticipating the attack. Anticipation denotes intelligence.
Priest Vito Cornelius: The most terrible intelligence imaginable, Mr. President.
Congratulations, Mrs. AC, it's a retard!
The Moon absorbs 93% of the visible light that hits it. It is also the color of asphalt. Nobody generally notices or makes a fuss about this.