But the question was how they know what the surface temperature (of any possible moons, since the planets themselves are probably gas giants) might be without knowing what their atmosphere is composed of or how dense it is. As I understand it, the "wobble" technique only tells you the orbital characteristics of the planet(s). The presence and type of atmosphere makes a huge difference in what temperatures one might expect on the surface.
Slashdot Mirror
The plume extends about 100 miles along the NJ coastline.
http://www.iceaxe.org/misc/010911WTCPlume.jpg
But the question was how they know what the surface temperature (of any possible moons, since the planets themselves are probably gas giants) might be without knowing what their atmosphere is composed of or how dense it is. As I understand it, the "wobble" technique only tells you the orbital characteristics of the planet(s). The presence and type of atmosphere makes a huge difference in what temperatures one might expect on the surface.