The Spectrum of an Exoplanet

While the first exoplanets (planets orbiting stars other than our own Sun) were first discovered more than a decade ago, the composition of these planets has long remained a mystery - especially since these planets appears to be very different than any planets in our own Solar System. Thanks to the capabilities of the ESO's VLT in Chile, a group of astronomers were able to finally directly measure the spectrum of one of these exoplanets (as opposed to looking at absorption lines which appears with the exoplanet passes between us and its star) - giving vital information on the chemical composition of its atmosphere. Go here for details, and enjoy!