Tag: Absorption

Mysteries Between Stars

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We know that solar systems form in a disk shape, with the star forming in the middle and any other rocks, presumably planets, form out from the center in whatever dust and gas remains. But what about the space between stars? Is it truly empty? And if there is something out there, how could we find it? How did it get there? For years, astronomers and chemists (believe it or not) have been trying to answer these questions and more.  The specific problem is that when we take a spectrum of a distant star, we see a collection of 400...

Star Blasting Hydrogen off a Planet

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If there’s one true fact about every single gas giant planet ever observed, around the Sun or other stars in the Galaxy, it’s that they all are mainly composed of Hydrogen.  Even though the giants of our solar system such as Neptune and Jupiter seem very different, it is Hydrogen that primarily composes them.  The difference is in the details though.  The blue colour of Neptune is due to the presence of Methane, and even then it only makes up 1.7% of Neptune’s mass. But Hydrogen is light.  Wouldn’t giant planets like hot Jupiters lose their Hydrogen from being blasted...