Infrared Light Curve for Transiting Exoplanet HD 219134b

Spitzer_ssc2015-02b_1024

spitzer_ssc2015-02b July 30th, 2015

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

This plot captures the nearest known rocky exoplanet, dubbed HD 219134b, in the act of passing in front of its star. The data were obtained in infrared light using NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope. By carefully measuring the brightness of the star over several hours Spitzer easily detected the faint decrease in light that occurred when the planets disk blocked a tiny portion of the stars light.

Even though the planet is 1.6 times the size of Earth, it still only accounts for less than a 0.04% reduction in the total light of the star during its transit. Since the host star is only 21 light years away it is quite bright and can even be seen with the naked eye, making it much easier to measure such a small change in brightness compared to other known transiting exoplanets that are much further away.

The artwork accurately depicts the relative scale of the planet with respect to the star and the calculated path of the transit near the edge of the star's disk.

Transiting planets are ideal targets for astronomers wanting to know more about their compositions and atmospheres. If molecules are present in the planet's atmosphere, they can absorb certain wavelengths of light, leaving imprints in the stars light during the transit. This type of technique also will be used in the future to investigate potentially habitable planets and search for signs of life.

Now in its 11th year of operation, Spitzer has become an important tool for astronomers studying planets orbiting other stars.

Provider: Spitzer Space Telescope

Image Source: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/6082-ssc2015-02b-Infrared-Light-Curve-for-Transiting-Exoplanet-HD-219134b

Curator: Spitzer Space Telescope, Pasadena, CA, USA

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Image Details

Image Type
Chart
Object Name
HD 219134 b
Subject - Milky Way
Planet > Type > Terrestrial
Planet > Special Cases > Transiting

Distance

Universescale1
21 light years
Spitzer_ssc2015-02b_1280
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ID
ssc2015-02b
Subject Category
B.1.1.1   B.1.3.1  
Subject Name
HD 219134 b
Credits
NASA/JPL-Caltech
Type
Chart
Image Quality
Good
Distance Notes
Facility
Instrument
Color Assignment
Band
Bandpass
Central Wavelength
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
Coordinate Frame
Equinox
Reference Value
Reference Dimension
Reference Pixel
Scale
Rotation
Coordinate System Projection:
Quality
FITS Header
Notes
Creator (Curator)
Spitzer Space Telescope
URL
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu
Name
Email
Telephone
Address
1200 E. California Blvd.
City
Pasadena
State/Province
CA
Postal Code
91125
Country
USA
Rights
Publisher
Spitzer Science Center
Publisher ID
spitzer
Resource ID
ssc2015-02b.tif
Metadata Date
2015-07-30
Metadata Version
1.2
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Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

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Universescalefull
21 light years

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