Water Clouds: WISE 0855

Astronomers have found clouds filled with water outside of our solar system. This is the first discovery of water clouds and the "remarkable find was located 7.2 light years from Earth on a brown dwarf-a type of low-mass star-called WISE 0855." It is the coldest object outside of the solar system and looks very similar to Jupiter.

"NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) first detected WISE 0855 in 2014. It wasn't until recent observations over 13 nights and about 14 hours, using Hawaii's Gemini-North telescope and the Gemini Near Infrared Spectrograph, that researchers say they were able to get a clear enough picture of its infrared spectrum."

WISE 0855 has water vapor and clouds. Both Jupiter and WISE 0855 have large amounts of water vapor and have similar temperatures. "The brown dwarf likely has a less turbulent atmosphere than Jupiter, however. That's because it does not heavily absorb the toxic gas phosphine like Jupiter does."

"The atmospheric findings appear to further blur the line between planets and brown dwarfs, which are often called failed stars."

Huffington Post article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/water-found-outside-solar-system_us_578240c7e4b0c590f7e9b48c?ir=Science&

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