It’s the first definitive detection of the greenhouse gas at a planet outside the solar system.
The planet, dubbed WASP-39b, is huge and puffy. It’s a bit wider than Jupiter and about as massive as Saturn. And it orbits its star every four Earth days, making it scorching hot. Those features make it a terrible place to search for
Previous observations of WASP-39b with NASA’s now-defunct Spitzer Space Telescope had detected just a whiff of absorption at that same wavelength. But it wasn’t enough to convince astronomers that carbon dioxide was really there. The JWST data also showed an extra bit of absorption at wavelengths close to those absorbed by carbon dioxide. “It’s a mystery molecule,” says astronomer Natalie Batalha of the University of California, Santa Cruz, who led the team behind the observation. “We have several suspects that we are interrogating.”The spectrum of light that filtered through the atmosphere of exoplanet WASP-39 b shows strong evidence for containing carbon dioxide.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
James Webb Spots 'Clear Evidence' of CO2 in the Atmosphere of an ExoplanetNASA's James Webb Space Telescope has made the first 'clear detection' of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of an exoplanet, according to NASA.
Read more »
James Webb detected carbon dioxide on a planet for the first timeNASA's James Webb space telescope has detected carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of an exoplanet for the first time.
Read more »
Astronomers Detect First Clear Signal of Carbon Dioxide in an Exoplanet's AtmosphereAn early – and exciting – science result from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was announced today: the first unambiguous detection of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of an exoplanet.
Read more »
Carbon dioxide detected around alien world for first timeUsing the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have found carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of a Saturn-size planet 700 light-years away—the first unambiguous detection of the gas in a planet beyond the Solar System.
Read more »
James Webb Space Telescope sniffs out carbon dioxide around an alien worldNo telescope has ever detected carbon dioxide in an exoplanet atmosphere before.
Read more »
Carbon dioxide detected on exoplanet for 1st time by James Webb Space TelescopeJust as it shared some of the first and clearest images of the cosmos, the James Webb Space Telescope has delivered another first — evidence of carbon dioxide on an exoplanet.
Read more »