Scientists now are able to create an alien weather report for six of the exoplanets observed by the Kepler Space Telescope, as these six exoplanets appear to have weather phases similar to the Moon. By using the Kepler space telescope the researchers can make the alien weather report using the telescope’s ultra-sensitive instruments. The different weather phases happen as the planets travel and reflect the light from their suns. For instance, the scientists were able to determine that on one observation, four of the exoplanets were having a cloudy day, and the other two were having a hot, clear day.
Kepler Space Telescope Makes Alien Weather Report Possible
Without the sensitive instruments on the Kepler Space Telescope, scientists say being able to determine the alien weather report wouldn’t be possible. This is because the telescope let them get extremely precise data and was able to detect even tiny signals from the exoplanets.
Alien Weather Report Measured By Planetary Changes
The scientists are able to determine the alien weather report via a series of observations of the planets as they travel around their suns. They measured the changes in its day and night cycles, according to scientists at the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of Toronto who wrote up the research in a study that is printed in the Astrophysical Journal.
The alien weather report comes from watching the exoplanets go through the whole day to night cycle. Just like in the planets in our solar system, the exoplanets rotate counter-clockwise and that means there is an eastern motion on their surface and an eastward travel of any winds or storms that might occur on them.
Temperatures Also Help Determine Alien Weather Report
During the night cycles, the exoplanet’s clouds get blown over to its morning side facing their sun. This travel of the clouds causes them to heat up and then in the afternoon the skies are clear. The scientists then compared the exoplanet temperatures against the measurements from the Kepler Space Telescope and found that the reflected light on the planet’s surfaces show that two of these planets are very hot due to thermal emissions.
Scientists believe the wind on these two worlds causes the bright reflections from the surface as it blows heat from the day side to travel to the night side of the exoplanet. These two worlds are super-hot and their temperatures are thought to get over 1,600 degrees Celsius. Scientists hope to continue to find more exoplanets in the universe and to be able to create an alien weather report for these future worlds, as well.
