HUBBLE ATLAS

Exoplanets

Full heic0303 Video News Release

March 12, 2003 · ESA/Hubble

Original on ESA/Hubble ↗

Using the Hubble Space Telescope, for the first time, astronomers have observed the atmosphere of an extrasolar planet evaporating off into space. Much of this planet may eventually disappear, leaving only a dense core. The planet is a type of extrasolar planet known as a ?hot Jupiter?. These giant, gaseous planets orbit their stars very closely, drawn to them like moths to a flame.