Outside our solar system, scientists discovered signs of water – Moskovsky Komsomolets

At a distance of about seven light-years away found water clouds

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Astronomers have discerned signs clouds of water ice around the object rotating at a distance of 7.3 light years from Earth – is two times closer than the distance to Alpha Centauri – the nearest star to the Sun system. If confirmed, this discovery would be the first observation of water clouds outside our solar system.

close brown dwarf from the Sun can be enveloped by water clouds, as presented in this fancy scientific draftsman (ROB GIZIS, CUNY BMCC / SCIENCEMAG.ORG).

Known clouds envelop brown dwarf the size of Jupiter, which can give an idea of ​​the nature of cold giant planets orbiting other suns.

Kevin Luman, an American astronomer from the University of Pennsylvania found a new object by studying images of the infrared space telescope WISE ( NASA), scan the sky in 2010-2011, according to sciencemag.org .

The brown dwarf star is not considered held and has such a small mass that can not withstand the fusion reactions, as a result of that after his birth, he droops and turns cold.

This brown dwarf named WISE J0855-0714 already recognized as the coolest of all known science. Its temperature is below the freezing point of water – it is colder average temperature of the Earth, but warmer than the temperature on Jupiter.

“I’ve been obsessed with this subject right from the moment of its opening,” admits astronomer Jacqueline Fagerti of karnegievskogo Institute of Science in Washington. This new neighbor looks like a giant planet – it is as large as Jupiter and 3-10 times more massive than it. However, it does not have the sun, the bright light which is not a problem when observing him. In addition, it is relatively close: this is the fourth in proximity to the Sun system – after Alpha Centauri, Barnard’s Star and Luhmann 16.

None of the ground-based observatories did not detect it: a new object is small and cold, due to What dim. Newfound brown dwarf disguised variable cloud cover: about half of it is hidden from view by clouds astronomer.

According to Jonathan Fortney of the University of California, who was not involved in the discovery, “this is the first evidence of water clouds” outside our solar system. Even within the solar system, observers see only water clouds around the Earth and Mars. Giant planets is so cold that the clouds of ammonia ice prevail over water clouds on Jupiter and Saturn, and Uranus, and Neptune’s atmosphere block the view of these planets.

As novoobnaruzhenny place is much dimmer, closer acquaintance with him requires the ability to James Webb Space Telescope, which will be launched at the end of this decade.