Astronomers at the University of Central Florida have spied what may be the hottest planet ever observed. Physicist Joseph Harrington, using NASA's orbiting Spitzer Space Telescope, measured the amount of reflected light that disappears as the planet ducks behind its star. From that, he calculated its temperature. Called HD 149026b, the Saturn-sized orb registers a steel-melting 3,700 degrees Fahrenheit. "It would look like an ember in space, absorbing all incoming light but glowing a dull red," he said. OK, but what about the humidity?
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FRANK ROYLANCEThe Baltimore Sun
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