Hubble Telescope Detects 'Sunscreen' Layer on Distant Planet

Using NASA’s Hubble Telescope, scientists detected a stratosphere on the planet WASP-33b. A stratosphere occurs when molecules in the atmosphere absorb ultraviolet and visible light from the star. This absorption warms the stratosphere and acts as a kind of sunscreen layer for the planet below.

Credit: NASA Goddard

[Astrostevo]

Awesome discovery. Congratulations and thanks to all those those involved. This is truly wonderful stuff.

[chillshack]

Congratulations. Very interesting result :)

[sszorin]

Not a proper presentation. We are not told what kind of a planet this 'planet' is. I presume it is a gas giant. Also, NASA is supposed to indicate temperatures in Kelvin and not in obsolete German Fahrenheit degrees.