Key Takeaways:
- The first thermal map of exoplanet HD 189733b has been generated, illustrating its temperature distribution where brighter regions signify higher temperatures.
- HD 189733b is tidally locked, meaning the same hemisphere consistently faces its host star.
- Analysis of the map reveals the planet's hottest point is not located at the center of the day side, but is instead shifted eastward.
- This exoplanet orbits within the HD 189733 binary star system, situated approximately 63 million light-years distant in the constellation Vulpecula.
The first thermal map of any exoplanet depicts the temperatures on HD 189733b, with hotter temperatures appearing brighter. The planet is tidally locked, meaning the same side always faces its star, with the central longitude here directly facing its sun. The map shows that the hottest point is not the middle of the day side, but a spot to the east.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/H. Knutson (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)
Some 63 million light-years away, in the constellation Vulpecula the Fox, binary star system HD 189733 has at least one exoplanet in orbit, designated HD 189733b.
