Latest news with #JWST
Hans India
8 hours ago
- Science
- Hans India
James Webb Telescope captures first direct image of possible exoplanet TWA 7 b
For the first time, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured a direct image of what scientists believe is an exoplanet—TWA 7 b—orbiting a young star located about 111 light-years from Earth in the constellation Hydra. The discovery, published in the journal Nature, marks a significant milestone for the JWST, which until now had primarily confirmed or studied exoplanets using indirect methods. Unlike typical techniques that rely on the dimming of a star's light when a planet passes in front of it, this new detection used JWST's coronagraph to block out the overwhelming glare of the star TWA 7, revealing a faint source of infrared light in its surrounding debris disk. 'This is the first time Webb has directly imaged an exoplanet, and the result is incredibly exciting,' says Anne-Marie Lagrange, lead author and astrophysicist at the French National Center for Scientific Research. 'The planet's position aligns exactly with predictions based on previous observations of gaps in the debris disk.' The object, TWA 7 b, is estimated to have a mass similar to Saturn's and a temperature around 120 degrees Fahrenheit. It resides within one of the disk's three dust rings, about 50 times farther from its star than Earth is from the Sun. The odds of it being a background galaxy are slim—only 0.34%—making it a strong planetary candidate. What makes this discovery even more remarkable is that TWA 7 b is roughly ten times lighter than any exoplanet previously imaged directly. It may also be the first planet observed actively shaping its star's surrounding debris disk—an insight that sheds light on how planetary systems like our own form and evolve. To confirm their findings, Lagrange's team ran simulations of the TWA 7 system. The models mirrored the Webb images almost exactly, reinforcing their confidence in the planetary nature of the object. 'This discovery is a testament to the power of JWST's instruments,' says co-author Mathilde Malin of the Space Telescope Science Institute. 'It opens the door to studying exoplanets that were previously out of reach, both in terms of their mass and distance from their host stars.'
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Science
- Time of India
James Webb captures first direct image of an exoplanet; key details inside
credit: In a groundbreaking moment for space exploration and technology, astronomers have captured the first-ever direct image of an exoplanet using the mighty James Webb Space Telescope. This is a significant achievement that marks a major leap in the ability of the world to study worlds beyond our solar system. There exists a more fascinating world, all waiting to be explored by us! The JWST has identified a faint source of infrared light in a disk of debris surrounding a young star, called TWA-7, approximately 34 light-years away from Earth. Their intelligent observations reveal that this planet is 10 times less massive than previous exoplanets to be directly observed with a telescope; the first was discovered back in 1992. But are we sure it is an exoplanet? What is the James Webb Space Telescope? Credit: canva JWST is one of NASA 's most powerful and advanced telescopes, launched back in December 2021. It doesn't orbit the Earth like other telescopes, but it orbits the Sun 1 million miles away from the Earth at what is called the L2 or second Lagrange point. Dr. Anne-Marie Lagrange, an astrophysicist at the French National Center for Scientific Research in Paris, quotes, 'The basic problem is that the star is bright and the planet seems to be a little faint.' Usually, the starlight outwits the planets, making them impossible to spot. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Adidas Three Shorts With 60% Discount, Limited Stock Available Original Adidas Shop Now Undo Dr. Anne, with all her colleagues, decided to focus on young stars that could be easily seen on the pole-on. The potential planet orbits roughly 50-52 times farther from its star than Earth is from the sun, and has a mass about one-third that of Jupiter's. Simulations of such an exoplanet in a dusty disk around a star produced images closely matching those from JWST. 'This was really why we were confident that there was a planet,' Lagrange says. What comes next? So, the team behind this magnificent discovery thinks that the JWST could soon be able to spot planets with just 10% of the mass of Jupiter, getting close to the size of Neptune. This groundbreaking discovery also gives scientists a roadmap for further space explorations and establishes ground-based telescopes that might detect even smaller and more Earth-like planets.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
James Webb telescope captures its first direct image of a glowing exoplanet the size of Saturn
It's provided us with stunning pictures of distant galaxies, nebulae and dying stars. But now, for the first time ever, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured an unprecedented image of an exoplanet outside our solar system. The planet, dubbed TWA 7b, was found orbiting a young red dwarf star about 111 light-years from Earth. Scientists estimate the celestial body is roughly the same mass as that of Saturn, or 100 times larger than Earth. That makes TWA 7b the smallest exoplanet ever directly observed - 10 times less massive than previous discoveries. Although the JWST has discovered hundreds of exoplanets, these have all been found indirectly by carefully watching the host star. However, by simulating the effects of an eclipse, scientists were able to filter out the excess starlight and spot the exoplanet's faint infrared glow. Lead researcher Dr Anne-Marie Lagrange, an astrophysicist at the Paris Observatory, told MailOnline: 'Detecting exoplanets is not easy in general. Imaging them is even more challenging. This is why the lightest planets imaged before TWA 7b [were] massive giants, a few times Jupiter's mass.' This image combines ground-based data from the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and data from the JWST. The star has been hidden and marked with a white star symbol. The blue region shows the debris field spotted by the VLT and the orange circle is the exoplanet as seen by the JWST Exoplanets, any planet outside the solar system, are small and appear to be extremely close to their star when seen from Earth. Since they don't give off much light of their own, this makes them extremely hard to see against the bright background. Scientists normally find exoplanets using the 'transit method', which involves watching the planet pass in front of its parent star and measuring how much the light dims. However, 20 years ago Dr Lagrange and her colleagues developed a technique using a device called a 'coronagraph' to block out the light of distant stars. This allowed her to see the rings of material floating around distant stars for the very first time. Dr Lagrange and her colleagues decided to focus on stars that they could see from the 'top-down', looking down on the star's pole to give a bird's eye view of the planetary system. They also chose to look for young stars since these have rings of material which are still glowing with heat, making them easier to spot. Astronomers already knew that the 6.4-million-year-old TWA 7 star had three distinct rings of debris which could be seen from the top down - making it an ideal target for the JWST. Using the coronagraph mounted on the space telescope the researchers blocked out the light from the star and then removed any residual glow using image processing. This revealed a faint source of infrared radiation within TWA 7's debris field, about 50 times farther from the star than Earth is to the Sun. This source was located in a 'hole' within one particularly narrow dust ring. That told Dr Lagrange that she was likely looking at a young planet which was just starting to affect debris in its orbital path. Although there is a very slim possibility that this signal could be a galaxy far in the background, initial analysis suggests it is likely to be a young, cold planet with a temperature of 47°C (120°F). Dr Lagrange says: 'Clearly it formed in a disk a few million years ago. It has gravitational interactions with the debris disk.' Dr Lagrange also says that a thin ring of material forming around the planet's orbit, known as a Trojan Ring, was predicted by models but had never been observed before. This discovery is exciting because it is the first time an exoplanet the size of the planets in our solar system has been directly observed. This is the smallest exoplanet ever directly observed but the JWST (pictured) has the potential to image planets just 10 per cent of Jupiter's mass Exoplanets Dr Lagrange has directly observed using Earth-based telescopes are giants, many times the mass of Jupiter. But the JWST has the potential to spot exoplanets just a tenth of Jupiter's mass. Scientists could use these observations to help uncover the mysteries of how our own solar system formed. However, Dr Lagrange says they cannot yet directly observe 'Earth-like planets in the habitable zone'. That means the hunt for life beyond our solar system will still need to wait for even more powerful telescopes such as NASA's proposed Habitable Worlds Observatory. Scientists study the atmosphere of distant exoplanets using enormous space satellites like Hubble Distant stars and their orbiting planets often have conditions unlike anything we see in our atmosphere. To understand these new world's, and what they are made of, scientists need to be able to detect what their atmospheres consist of. They often do this by using a telescope similar to Nasa's Hubble Telescope. These enormous satellites scan the sky and lock on to exoplanets that Nasa think may be of interest. Here, the sensors on board perform different forms of analysis. One of the most important and useful is called absorption spectroscopy. This form of analysis measures the light that is coming out of a planet's atmosphere. Every gas absorbs a slightly different wavelength of light, and when this happens a black line appears on a complete spectrum. These lines correspond to a very specific molecule, which indicates it's presence on the planet. They are often called Fraunhofer lines after the German astronomer and physicist that first discovered them in 1814. By combining all the different wavelengths of lights, scientists can determine all the chemicals that make up the atmosphere of a planet. The key is that what is missing, provides the clues to find out what is present. It is vitally important that this is done by space telescopes, as the atmosphere of Earth would then interfere. Absorption from chemicals in our atmosphere would skew the sample, which is why it is important to study the light before it has had chance to reach Earth. This is often used to look for helium, sodium and even oxygen in alien atmospheres.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope discovers new planet TWA 7b orbiting a young star 111 light-years away
The James Webb Space Telescope has officially discovered its first new planet after three years of supporting astronomers in studying known exoplanets. This young world is a groundbreaking discovery designated TWA 7b because it is the lowest-mass planet ever directly imaged outside the solar system. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now With an estimated mass of just 0.3 times that of Jupiter (or about 100 times that of Earth), TWA 7b is ten times lighter than any previously directly imaged exoplanet. James Webb Space Telescope captures young exoplanet TWA 7b The young exoplanet discovered by JWST: TWA 7b orbits a young, low-mass star called CE Antliae (also known as TWA 7), located approximately 111 light-years from Earth in the constellation Antlia. This star, discovered in 1999, is part of the TW Hydrae Association, a group of stars known for their youth. CE Antliae is thought to be just 6.4 million years old—a cosmic infant compared to our 4.6-billion-year-old Sun. Its youthful nature, along with its nearly pole-on orientation as seen from Earth, made it an ideal candidate for imaging with JWST. How James Webb Space Telescope spotted a new planet hiding in a dusty ring The key to discovering TWA 7b lies in infrared imaging. Young, low-mass planets like TWA 7b emit thermal radiation in the infrared spectrum, which is JWST's specialty. The telescope's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), along with its coronagraph, played a pivotal role. A coronagraph allows astronomers to block out the overwhelming light of a star, making it possible to detect faint nearby objects such as exoplanets. Using high-contrast imaging techniques, the JWST team was able to detect a faint infrared source embedded in the debris disc around TWA 7. This faint source turned out to be located in a gap between rings of dust—an area theorised to be carved out by a planet's gravitational influence. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Simulations confirmed that the presence of a Saturn-mass planet in that exact location could explain the observed structure. James Webb Space Telescope finds TWA 7b in a dust gap The disc around TWA 7 is not a random cloud of debris—it contains three distinct rings, with gaps in between. One of these gaps has a narrow ring flanked by two dust-free regions, a signature commonly associated with the gravitational forces of an orbiting planet. The infrared glow detected by JWST corresponds precisely to this ring gap, and its brightness, temperature (around 320 Kelvin or 47°C), and orbital distance (about 50 astronomical units from the star) all match what scientists expected of a planet in this region. What makes this discovery so significant The discovery of TWA 7b marks a milestone in exoplanet science for several reasons: First planet discovered by JWST using direct imaging Lowest-mass exoplanet ever directly imaged Potential first observational evidence of a planet influencing a debris disc New insights into planet formation in very young systems Astronomers believe that the structures seen in debris discs around young stars are blueprints for planetary formation. These rings and gaps represent zones where material is either accumulating to form planets or being cleared out by their gravitational pull. TWA 7b may be the first direct proof of this process in action. How James Webb Space Telescope new imaging techniques revealed the hidden planet TWA 7b To detect TWA 7b, researchers used advanced image subtraction methods. Removing residual starlight, they could separate the planet from Solar System bodies and background galaxies. This finding illustrates the way that new observing methods and instruments on JWST—such as the coronagraph and MIRI—are opening up our ability to discover hitherto inaccessible exoplanets. Due to JWST's mid-infrared sensitivity, it's now able to detect planets as massive and as cold as Saturn, a tremendous improvement in direct imaging. Future of exoplanet discovery with James Webb Space Telescope With its ability to suppress starlight and pick up the faint heat signatures of small, cold planets, JWST is opening a new frontier in exoplanet discovery. Astronomers are now optimistic that even lighter planets—possibly Neptune-mass or even super-Earths—could soon be within reach. Future follow-up observations will aim to: Confirm the planetary nature of TWA 7b Measure its exact mass, atmosphere, and temperature Study the dynamic interactions between the planet and its debris disc Look for Trojan dust clouds—collections of material that may share the planet's orbit. Also Read |
Arab Times
3 days ago
- Science
- Arab Times
James Webb Space Telescope discovers new exoplanet through direct imaging
NEW YORK, June 26: Since its launch in 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has not only provided extensive insights into the early universe but also gathered important data on known exoplanets — planets beyond our solar system. Now, for the first time, JWST has directly discovered a previously unknown exoplanet. The telescope captured an image of a young gas giant roughly the size of Saturn, orbiting a star smaller than the Sun about 110 light-years away in the constellation Antlia. (A light-year is the distance light travels in one year, approximately 5.9 trillion miles or 9.5 trillion kilometers.) Most of the approximately 5,900 exoplanets found since the 1990s have been detected using indirect techniques, such as the transit method, which measures the slight dimming of a star's light when a planet crosses in front of it. Less than 2% of exoplanets have been directly imaged, making this discovery notable. Although this planet is large compared to those in our solar system, it is actually the least massive exoplanet ever detected by direct imaging, being ten times lighter than the previous smallest one discovered. This highlights the remarkable sensitivity of Webb's instruments. This achievement was made possible by a French-built coronagraph—a device that blocks the intense light from a star—integrated into Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). "Webb opens a new window in terms of detecting planets of smaller mass and at greater distances from their stars, previously inaccessible to observation," said astronomer Anne-Marie Lagrange of France's CNRS and LIRA/Observatoire de Paris, who led the study published in Nature. "This is key to exploring the diversity of planetary systems and understanding their formation and evolution." The newly found planet orbits its star, known as TWA 7, at a distance about 52 times that between Earth and the Sun. To provide perspective, Neptune—the outermost planet in our solar system—circles the Sun at about 30 times Earth's distance. The transit method excels at finding planets close to their stars, but imaging is essential for detecting and analyzing those orbiting farther away. Planetary systems begin with the collapse of a large molecular cloud of gas and dust under gravity, forming a central star surrounded by a protoplanetary disk of leftover material that eventually forms planets. Both the star TWA 7 and its planet are very young—around 6 million years old—compared to the Sun's age of roughly 4.5 billion years. Viewing the system nearly face-on, researchers could identify the structure of the disk, which contains two wide concentric rings of rocky and dusty material, along with a narrow ring where the planet resides. The composition of the planet's atmosphere remains unknown, but future JWST observations may shed light on this. Scientists also aren't sure whether the young planet is still growing by accumulating nearby material. While this is the smallest exoplanet directly imaged to date, it is still far more massive than rocky planets like Earth, which are prime targets in the search for extraterrestrial life. Despite JWST's powerful near- and mid-infrared capabilities, it currently cannot directly image Earth-sized exoplanets. 'Looking ahead, I hope that direct imaging of Earth-like planets and the search for signs of life will become achievable,' Lagrange concluded.
