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Photometry of Transiting Planet GJ 436b
This artist's diagram shows the unusual light curve produced when the exoplanet GJ 436b and the huge, comet-like hydrogen cloud nicknamed "The Behemoth" pass in front of the parent star. Because the planet's orbit is tilted nearly edge-on to our view from Earth, the planet and cloud can be seen eclipsing its star. Astronomers see the extended dip in the light caused by the enormous cloud. That dip trails off slowly due to the cloud's comet-like tail.
- Release DateJune 24, 2015
- Science ReleaseHubble Sees a ‘Behemoth’ Bleeding Atmosphere Around a Warm Neptune-Sized Exoplanet
- Credit
Related Images & Videos
Artist's Concept of Extasolar Planet GJ 436b
This artist's concept shows "The Behemoth," an enormous comet-like cloud of hydrogen bleeding off of a warm, Neptune-sized planet just 30 light-years from Earth. Also depicted is the parent star, which is a faint red dwarf named GJ 436. The hydrogen is evaporating from the...
Polar View of GJ 436b System
This artist's diagram shows a polar view of the GJ 436 system. The warm, Neptune-sized exoplanet GJ 436b resides very close to its star – less than 3 million miles – and whips around it in just 2.6 Earth days. A huge, comet-like cloud of hydrogen nicknamed "The Behemoth" is...
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Last Updated
Aug 17, 2025
Contact
Media
Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
