CARBON and oxygen are streaming outwards in the atmosphere of a planet 150 light years away. It’s the first time anyone has observed these elements in a planet outside the solar system.
The planet, which orbits a star called HD 209458 in the constellation Pegasus, has been nicknamed Osiris, after the Egyptian god of the underworld. It is a Jupiter-like gas giant and orbits very close to its star, whipping around it every 3.5 days.
Osiris is one of only two extrasolar planets known to pass across the face of its star, as seen from Earth, during its orbit. Using…
