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Scottish Sun
25-06-2025
- Science
- Scottish Sun
Eerie hidden world discovered by alien-hunting space telescope is first of its kind – and scientists nearly missed it
While thousands of exoplanets - planets outside of our solar system - have been discovered, getting pictures of them still proves tricky ON THE ROCKS Eerie hidden world discovered by alien-hunting space telescope is first of its kind – and scientists nearly missed it THE James Webb Space Telescope has discovered its first-ever exoplanet - a distant world hidden by the glare of its nearest star. The landmark discovery marks a new era for alien-hunters, according to a new study from the Paris Observatory and the University Grenoble Alpes, published in Nature today. 2 The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been floating in space since 2021, and is now just over 1million miles away from Earth Credit: NASA The newly discovered exoplanet, named TWA 7 b, is in the debris disk of a young star. These disks are made up of dust and small rocks that are left over after a planet has formed. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been floating in space since 2021, and is now just over 1million miles away from Earth. For scale, that's more than 4.5 times the distance between our planet and the Moon. While it has detected other planets - these have all be previously known to astronomers on the ground. TWA 7 b is pretty big and is a similar size to Saturn, the second largest planet in our solar system. However, it still could have been easily missed, as researchers say it is one of the lightest planets ever detected. JWST's keen eye is set to enable scientists to capture images of less massive planets that are more comparable to Earth in size. While thousands of exoplanets - planets outside of our solar system - have been discovered, getting pictures of them still proves tricky. Many exoplanets lurk in the shadows of their nearest star, and therefore don't stand out enough to be visible, according to researchers. Best-ever sign of ALIEN life found on distant planet as scientists '99.7% sure of astounding biological activity signal' However, a French-produced coronagraph onboard the JWST - a tool used to block the light of a star to see nearby planets - made the new discovery possible. While it doesn't provide a direct picture of the planet, you can see its effects in the circles labelled CC #1 in the image. By masking the star, scientists have better hope of observing the objects surrounding it. The James Webb Space Telescope: an overview The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a space-based observatory that is designed to complement and extend the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope. It is named after James E. Webb, who was the administrator of Nasa from 1961 to 1968 and played a pivotal role in the Apollo program. JWST is equipped with a 6.5-meter primary mirror, which is significantly larger than Hubble's 2.4-meter mirror, allowing it to observe much fainter objects at greater distances. It operates in the infrared spectrum, which enables it to peer through dust clouds that obscure visible light and to observe the earliest galaxies that formed after the Big Bang. The telescope was launched on 25th December 2021 and is positioned at the second Lagrange point (L2), approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. This location provides a stable environment with minimal interference from Earth's heat and light. JWST's scientific goals include studying the formation of stars and planets, understanding the evolution of galaxies, and investigating the potential for life in other parts of the universe. It is a collaborative project involving Nasa, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). The debris disk surrounding TWA 7's star is very clear, coming up a bright whiteish yellow in the image. It forms a near perfect disk, except for the top right corner along the R2 dotted line. It's here where the exoplanet is hiding, nearly completely obscured by the brightness of its star and nearby debris. Finding new planets in the universe helps astronomers on Earth understand more about how solar systems like ours came to be. All you need to know about planets in our solar system Our solar system is made up of nine planets with Earth the third closest to the Sun. But each planet has its own quirks, so find out more about them all... How old is Earth? Plus other facts on our planet How many moons does Mercury have? What colour is Venus? How far away is Mars to Earth? And other facts on the red planet How big is Jupiter? How many moons does Saturn have? Does Uranus have rings? How many moons does Neptune have? How big is Pluto? How hot is the Sun?
The Irish Sun
25-06-2025
- Science
- The Irish Sun
Eerie hidden world discovered by alien-hunting space telescope is first of its kind – and scientists nearly missed it
THE James Webb Space Telescope has discovered its first-ever exoplanet - a distant world hidden by the glare of its nearest star. The landmark discovery marks a new era for alien-hunters, according to a new study from the Paris Observatory and the University Grenoble Alpes, published in Nature today. Advertisement 2 The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been floating in space since 2021, and is now just over 1million miles away from Earth Credit: NASA The newly discovered exoplanet, named TWA 7 b, is in the debris disk of a young star. These disks are made up of dust and small rocks that are left over after a planet has formed. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been floating in space since 2021, and is now just over 1million miles away from Earth. For scale, that's more than 4.5 times the distance between our planet and the Moon. Advertisement READ MORE ON SPACE While it has detected other planets - these have all be previously known to astronomers on the ground. TWA 7 b is pretty big and is a similar size to Saturn, the second largest planet in our solar system. However, it still could have been easily missed, as researchers say it is one of the lightest planets ever detected. JWST's keen eye is set to enable scientists to capture images of less massive planets that are more comparable to Earth in size. Advertisement Most read in Science While thousands of exoplanets - planets outside of our solar system - have been discovered, getting pictures of them still proves tricky. Many exoplanets lurk in the shadows of their nearest star, and therefore don't stand out enough to be visible, according to researchers. Best-ever sign of ALIEN life found on distant planet as scientists '99.7% sure of astounding biological activity signal' However, a French-produced coronagraph onboard the JWST - a tool used to block the light of a star to see nearby planets - made the new discovery possible. While it doesn't provide a direct picture of the planet, you can see its effects in the circles labelled CC #1 in the image. Advertisement By masking the star, scientists have better hope of observing the objects surrounding it. The James Webb Space Telescope: an overview The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a space-based observatory that is designed to complement and extend the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope. It is named after James E. Webb, who was the administrator of Nasa from 1961 to 1968 and played a pivotal role in the Apollo program. JWST is equipped with a 6.5-meter primary mirror, which is significantly larger than Hubble's 2.4-meter mirror, allowing it to observe much fainter objects at greater distances. It operates in the infrared spectrum, which enables it to peer through dust clouds that obscure visible light and to observe the earliest galaxies that formed after the Big Bang. The telescope was launched on 25th December 2021 and is positioned at the second Lagrange point (L2), approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. This location provides a stable environment with minimal interference from Earth's heat and light. JWST's scientific goals include studying the formation of stars and planets, understanding the evolution of galaxies, and investigating the potential for life in other parts of the universe. It is a collaborative project involving Nasa, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). The debris disk surrounding TWA 7's star is very clear, coming up a bright whiteish yellow in the image. It forms a near perfect disk, except for the top right corner along the R2 dotted line. It's here where the exoplanet is hiding, nearly completely obscured by the brightness of its star and nearby debris. Advertisement Finding new planets in the universe helps astronomers on Earth understand more about how solar systems like ours came to be. All you need to know about planets in our solar system Our solar system is made up of nine planets with Earth the third closest to the Sun. But each planet has its own quirks, so find out more about them all... How old is How many moons does What colour is How far away is How big is How many moons does Does How many moons does How big is How hot is the 2 While JWST doesn't provide a direct picture of the planet, you can see a darker space around the circles labelled CC #1 in the image Credit: JWST/ESO/Lagrange
The Irish Sun
10-06-2025
- Science
- The Irish Sun
Nasa issues shock update on hidden ‘city killer' asteroid heading towards the Moon in 2032
NASA has upped the odds of a 200ft "city killer" asteroid smashing into the Moon in 2032. Asteroid 2024 YR4 was once feared to be on Advertisement 2 The moon is pockmarked with previous impact craters Credit: Getty 2 Artist's impression of an asteroid Credit: Getty Further calculations showed it will during a flyby in 2032. However, the space rock is now back in the spotlight following a warning from Nasa. YR4 now has an increased chance of hitting the Moon. The asteroid is too far to observe from Earth, so scientists have used the $10billion James Webb Space Telescope (JSWT) as their eye in the sky. Advertisement READ MORE ON NASA Using data from JSWT, a team of scientists from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory refined predictions of where YR4 will be on 22 December, 2032. The new predictions prompted Nasa to increase the odds of a lunar impact from 3.8 per cent to 4.3 per cent, according to a recent update. The odds of an impact have more than - when Nasa gave it a 1-in-59 chance of hitting our only orbital satellite. "As data comes in, it is normal for the impact probability to evolve," Nasa noted in its Advertisement Most read in Science The US space agency will be able to make more observations about the asteroid's predicted path when during its next flyby of the Sun in 2028. Fortunately, in the event of an impact, there would be minimal consequences for Earth. Terrifying video reveals what the impact of city-killer asteroid 2024YR4 hitting Earth in 2032 might look like "In the small chance that the asteroid were to impact, it would not alter the Moon's orbit," Nasa wrote. It would simply add another pockmark to the lunar landscape, which is plastered with impact craters. Advertisement Any debris kicked up by the impact would likely burn up in Earth's atmosphere - if any of it nears our planet at all. JWST observations suggest that the space rock measures between 174-220 feet in diameter. That is roughly the size of a 10-story building. While the probability remains low - at over 96 per cent chance of a miss - Nasa is closely monitoring the asteroid. Advertisement The James Webb Space Telescope: an overview The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a space-based observatory that is designed to complement and extend the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope. It is named after James E. Webb, who was the administrator of Nasa from 1961 to 1968 and played a pivotal role in the Apollo program. JWST is equipped with a 6.5-meter primary mirror, which is significantly larger than Hubble's 2.4-meter mirror, allowing it to observe much fainter objects at greater distances. It operates in the infrared spectrum, which enables it to peer through dust clouds that obscure visible light and to observe the earliest galaxies that formed after the Big Bang. The telescope was launched on 25th December 2021 and is positioned at the second Lagrange point (L2), approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. This location provides a stable environment with minimal interference from Earth's heat and light. JWST's scientific goals include studying the formation of stars and planets, understanding the evolution of galaxies, and investigating the potential for life in other parts of the universe. It is a collaborative project involving Nasa, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
