NASA's
Spitzer Space Telescope has found that the hottest part of a distant planet,
named upsilon Andromedae b, is not under the glare of its host star as might be
expected. Instead, the planet's hot spot -- illustrated here in this artist's
concept in brighter, orange hues -- is more than 80 degrees to the side, closer
to the dark side of the planet.
The
planet is a hot gas giant that whips around its star every 4.6 days. Because it
is so close to its star, it is tidally locked, meaning that one side is
eternally bombarded by the star's radiation. The other dark side never sees the
light of day. Astronomers are scratching their heads as to why the planet's hot
material is found so far over to the side.
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