Source : NASA
For the first time, carbon dioxide has been detected on a planet outside of the solar system by humanity’s enormous giant space telescope.
NASA’s James Webb Telescope has, for the first time, clearly detected carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of the gas giant exoplanet WASP-39 b, according to a press release broadcast on NASA TV on Thursday.
The discovery was made with Webb’s Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) and took the form of a small bump on the spectrum between 4.1 and 4.6 microns related to the exoplanet’s atmosphere. The evidence sheds light on the formation of planets.
Zafar Rustamkulov, a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University and a member of the JWST Transiting Exoplanet Community Early Release Science team, which conducted this investigation, said in the press release, “As soon as the data appeared on my screen, the whopping carbon dioxide feature grabbed me.” Crossing a crucial threshold in the study of exoplanets was a special moment.
For the James Webb Space Telescope, it’s a crucial time. The telescope, launched on December 25, 2021, has a massive 21-foot (6.5-meter) gold-coated mirror that will allow it to peer deeper into space with greater detail than ever before. NASA released the first images from the telescope last month, which stunned the world.
The NIRSpec, which captured the most recent carbon dioxide readings, works by filtering starlight and is based on the idea that different gases absorb different colour combinations. Researchers can examine the brightness differences in these when cross referenced to a wavelength spectrum. The composition of an atmosphere can be determined in this manner.
Why was WASP-39 b chosen? The planet, discovered in 2011, is classified as “transiting.” In other words, because it has an orbit that can be seen edge-on as opposed to from above, observations of starlight are especially convenient for researchers. Furthermore, WASP-39 b experiences frequent transits and, with its inflated atmosphere, makes an excellent target for transmission spectroscopy.
The discovery is significant because measurements in this part of the transmission spectrum — 3 to 5.5 microns — for exoplanets are critical in determining the presence of gases such as water, methane, & carbon dioxide. To date, no other observatory has measured the brightness differences observed for WASP-39 b.
“Detecting such a clear signal of carbon dioxide on WASP-39 b bodes well for the detection of atmospheres on smaller, terrestrial-sized planets,” said Natalie Batalha of University of california at Santa Cruz, the research team’s leader, in a press release.
Illustration: NASA , ESA, CSA, and L. Hustak (STScI); Science: The JWST Transiting Exo
A carbon-containing exoplanet 700 light years away
WASP-39 b, a hot gas giant planet with a mass roughly one-quarter that of Jupiter and a diameter 1.3 times larger than Jupiter, was found to be orbiting a sun-like star 700 light years away. Carbon dioxide was found there.
WASP-39 b orbits very closely to its star, which has temperatures of about 1600 degrees Fahrenheit, in contrast to the cooler, more compact gas giants in our solar system. As result of this proximity, the exoplanet puffs up noticeably and completes one full rotation in just over four Earth days.
The term “transiting” is used to describe planets like WASP-39 b. Researchers have the opportunity to gain insights into the planetary atmospheres of exoplanets because of their habit of being observed edge-on rather than from above due to their orbital characteristics.
Water vapour and potassium have also been detected in the past by telescopes like Hubble. James Webb has once more proven its capacity to advance our understanding of the cosmos with this most recent discovery.
Water vapour and potassium have also been detected in the past by telescopes like Hubble. James Webb has once more proven its capacity to advance our understanding of the cosmos with this most recent discovery.
