Earth-like, Neptune-sized exoplanet may have blue skies

TomoNews US 2015-11-28

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Scientists have detected that an exoplanet orbiting a red-dwarf star may hold a striking similarity to Earth.

An exoplanet named GJ 3470b has been found to potentially have blue skies similar to Earth's, reported Astronomy Magazine. The exoplanet is similar in size to Neptune, which is around four times the size of Earth.

According to Forbes, it may have blue skies through Rayleigh scattering, a process that disperses light in the atmosphere and gives color to the sky. As the exoplanet passed in front the dwarf star, scientists were able to investigate the exoplanet's light spectrum and found it appears larger at blue wavelengths, reported Forbes.

While it may have skies similar to Earth, Forbes reports the exoplanet's atmosphere is likely different. Earth's has a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen, while the exoplanet may have a mix of helium and hydrogen.

The study was led by Dr Diana Dragomir of the University of Chicago and published in the Astrophysical Journal.

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