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Christine Pulliam
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Press Release

Release No.: 2011-21For Release: Thursday, August 11, 2011
Alien World is Blacker than Coal
exoplanet TrES-2b
The distant exoplanet TrES-2b, shown here in an artist's conception, is darker than the blackest coal. This Jupiter-sized world reflects less than one percent of the light that falls on it, making it blacker than any planet or moon in our solar system. Astronomers aren't sure what vapors in the planet's superheated atmosphere cloak it so effectively.
Credit: David A. Aguilar (CfA)
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