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NASA Spitzer Space Telescope • Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• California Institute of Technology
• Vision for Space Exploration
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Introduction Press Release Visuals More Info

HD 189733b
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/H. Knutson (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)

First Map of Alien World

This is the first-ever map of the surface of an exoplanet, or a planet beyond our solar system. The map, which shows temperature variations across the cloudy tops of a gas giant called HD 189733b, is made up of infrared data taken by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Hotter temperatures are represented in brighter colors.

HD 189733b is what is known as a hot-Jupiter planet. These sizzling, gas planets practically hug their stars, orbiting at distances that are much closer than Mercury is to our sun. They whip around their stars quickly; for example, HD 189733b completes one orbit in just 2.2 days. Hot Jupiters are also thought to be tidally locked to their stars, just as our moon is to Earth. This means that one side of a hot Jupiter always faces its star.

As predicted, the map reveals that HD 189733b has a warm spot on its "sunlit" side, which is always pointed toward the star. But the map also shows that this spot is offset from the high-noon, or sun-facing, point by 30 degrees. According to scientists, ferocious winds traveling up to 6,000 miles per hour (nearly 9,700 kilometers per hour) are probably pushing the hot spot to the east.

In addition to the warm spot, the map tells astronomers that temperatures on HD 189733b are fairly even all around. While the dark side is about 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit (650 degrees Celsius), the sunlit side is just a bit hotter at 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit (930 degrees Celsius). This mild temperature variation is more evidence for strong winds, since winds would help spread the heat from the hot, sunlit side over to the dark side.

These data were collected by Spitzer's infrared array camera as the planet, a so-called transiting planet, passed in front of its star, then swung around and disappeared behind it (see animation). By observing the planet for half of its 2.2-day long orbit, Spitzer was able to measure the infrared light, or heat, coming from its entire surface. The infrared measurements, about a quarter of a million individual data points, were then assembled by scientists into pole-to-pole strips, and ultimately into the complete map shown here.

To download, choose your preferred resolution and file format below. "High-Resolution" files will always the highest resolution and widest crop available, intended for print. Other resolutions are provided for convenient on-screen viewing.

Screen-Resolution (450x360) JPEG (56 KB)
Medium-Resolution (900x720): JPEG (128 KB)
High-Resolution (3000x2400): JPEG (732 KB) | Mac TIFF (4 MB) | PC TIFF (4.1 MB)

About the Object Object Name: HD 189733b
Object Type: Exoplanet
Position (J2000): RA: 20 00 43 Dec: +22 42 39
Distance: 63 light-years
Constellation: Vulpecula
About the Data Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/H. Knutson (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)
Instrument: IRAC
Wavelength: 8.0 microns
Exposure Date: Oct 28 and 29, 2006
Exposure Time: 33 hours
Release Date: May 9,2007
Observers H. Knutson (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)
David Charbonneau (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)
Lori E. Allen (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)
Jonathan J. Fortney (NASA Ames Research Center)
Eric Agol (University of Washington, Seattle)
Nicolas B. Cowan (University of Washington, Seattle)
Adam P. Showman (University of Arizona)
Curtis S. Cooper (University of Arizona)
S. Thomas Megeath (University of Toledo)

Individual Images

Image without overlays.

Screen-Resolution (450x225): JPEG
High-Resolution (2400x1200): JPEG | Mac TIFF | PC TIFF
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/H. Knutson (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)

Introduction Press Release Visuals More Info



The Spitzer Space Telescope is a NASA mission managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This website is maintained by the Spitzer Science Center, located on the campus of the California Institute of Technology and part of NASA's Infrared Processing and Analysis Center.

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