Bruce Murray Space Image Library

A Comparison of Mass and Heavy Elements for Discovered Planets

A Comparison of Mass and Heavy Elements for Discovered Planets
A Comparison of Mass and Heavy Elements for Discovered Planets In the 4 largest planets of our own solar system, the amount of carbon in their atmospheres is directly related to their sizes, with less-massive planets having relatively more carbon. When we measured water in exoplanet atmospheres—which should, theoretically, show the same relationship—we were surprised to discover no strong correlation between water abundance and planet mass. Loren A. Roberts for The Planetary Society based on data from Hannah Wakeford