The Featureless Transmission Spectra of Two Super-puff Planets

• Published in: The Astronomical journal Vol. 159; no. 2; pp. 57 - 76
• Main Authors: Libby-Roberts, Jessica E., Berta-Thompson, Zachory K., Désert, Jean-Michel, Masuda, Kento, Morley, Caroline V., Lopez, Eric D., Deck, Katherine M., Fabrycky, Daniel, Fortney, Jonathan J., Line, Michael R., Sanchis-Ojeda, Roberto, Winn, Joshua N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Goddard Space Flight Center The American Astronomical Society 01.02.2020; American Astronomical Society / IOP Publishing; IOP Publishing
• Subjects: Aerosols; Altitude; Astronomy; Astrophysics; Atmospheric composition; Comparative studies; Exoplanet atmospheres; Exoplanet evolution; Exoplanet structure; Exoplanets; Field cameras; High altitude; Hubble Space Telescope; Hypotheses; Kepler mission (NASA); Planet formation; Planetary evolution; Planets; Space telescopes; Spectra; Transit time; Transit timing variation method; Transits; Water absorption

The Kepler mission revealed a class of planets known as "super-puffs," with masses only a few times larger than Earth's but radii larger than Neptune, giving them very low mean densities. All three of the known planets orbiting the young solar-type star Kepler 51 are super-puffs. The...