Free Astronomy Magazine November-December 2017

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2017 A n artist’s imp r e s s i on showing the exo- planet WASP-19b, in which atmosphere as- tronomers detected tita- nium oxide for the first time. In large enough quantities, tita- nium oxide can prevent heat from entering or escaping an atmosphere, leading to a thermal inversion — the tem- perature is higher in the upper atmosphere and lower further down, the opposite of the normal sit- uation. [ESO/M. Kornmesser] − Previous page, flying from the Earth to the star WASP-19 in the constellation Vela. [ESO /http://spaceengine.org . Music: John Dyson]