Latest news with #JamesWebbSpaceTelescope
Hans India
9 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.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
MDA SPACE REOPENS OPERATIONS AT DAVID FLORIDA LABORATORY
Ensures critical sovereign satellite and space systems integration and testing capabilities remain available to all industry in Canada BRAMPTON, ON, June 27, 2025 /CNW/ - MDA Space Ltd. (TSX: MDA), a trusted mission partner to the rapidly expanding global space industry, today announced it has taken over operation of the David Florida Laboratory (DFL) in Ottawa, ensuring this world-class testing facility remains open to industry and under sovereign Canadian control. The facility houses essential infrastructure that enables the assembly, integration and testing of entire spacecraft and satellite systems and subsystems to ensure their ability to operate in the harsh conditions of space. No other facility of its kind is commercially available in Canada. Owned and operated by the Canadian Government since the 1970s, DFL has been a strategic national asset and integral part of Canada's national and industrial end-to-end space capability for decades, supporting the development of space technology and critical missions for both the government and private sector. The facility has played a pivotal role in establishing Canada's world-leading national and industrial space capabilities including critical components of the James Webb Space Telescope, all Canadarm space robotics, the RADARSAT family of Earth observation satellites, and multiple generations of essential communications satellites that support every aspect of the daily lives of Canadians. MDA's stewardship of the facility underscores its commitment to advancing the nation's space ambitions while ensuring Canadian companies have the resources they need to succeed in a growing and commercializing global space industry. "The David Florida Laboratory is an irreplaceable national asset and the operational transfer to industry at a time of rapid commercialization of the global and domestic space industry is a natural evolution," said Mike Greenley, CEO of MDA Space. "We are honoured to take on this responsibility to ensure DFL remains open to all industry for the long term, preserving Canada's sovereign space capabilities and helping to foster innovation and growth across the Canadian space sector." The David Florida Laboratory will continue to support a range of assembly, integration and test (AI&T) requirements including Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), thermal vacuum, antenna and vibration test services. MDA Space is committed to providing fair and equitable access to all industry partners to test and validate their advanced technologies on a competitive fee-for-services basis. Details of integration and testing services offered at DFL are available on the MDA Space LaunchPad portal or by contacting DFL@ ABOUT MDA SPACE Building the space between proven and possible, MDA Space (TSX:MDA) is a trusted mission partner to the global space industry. A robotics, satellite systems and geointelligence pioneer with a 55-year+ story of world firsts and more than 450 missions, MDA Space is a global leader in communications satellites, Earth and space observation, and space exploration and infrastructure. The MDA Space team of more than 3,400 space experts in Canada, the US and the UK has the knowledge and know-how to turn an audacious customer vision into an achievable mission – bringing to bear a one-of-a-kind mix of experience, engineering excellence and wide-eyed wonder that's been in our DNA since day one. For those who dream big and push boundaries on the ground and in the stars to change the world for the better, we'll take you there. For more information, visit SOCIAL MEDIALinkedIn: X: Facebook: YouTube: Instagram: View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE MDA Space View original content to download multimedia: Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Cision Canada
a day ago
- Business
- Cision Canada
MDA SPACE REOPENS OPERATIONS AT DAVID FLORIDA LABORATORY
Ensures critical sovereign satellite and space systems integration and testing capabilities remain available to all industry in Canada BRAMPTON, ON, June 27, 2025 /CNW/ - MDA Space Ltd. (TSX: MDA), a trusted mission partner to the rapidly expanding global space industry, today announced it has taken over operation of the David Florida Laboratory (DFL) in Ottawa, ensuring this world-class testing facility remains open to industry and under sovereign Canadian control. The facility houses essential infrastructure that enables the assembly, integration and testing of entire spacecraft and satellite systems and subsystems to ensure their ability to operate in the harsh conditions of space. No other facility of its kind is commercially available in Canada. Owned and operated by the Canadian Government since the 1970s, DFL has been a strategic national asset and integral part of Canada's national and industrial end-to-end space capability for decades, supporting the development of space technology and critical missions for both the government and private sector. The facility has played a pivotal role in establishing Canada's world-leading national and industrial space capabilities including critical components of the James Webb Space Telescope, all Canadarm space robotics, the RADARSAT family of Earth observation satellites, and multiple generations of essential communications satellites that support every aspect of the daily lives of Canadians. MDA's stewardship of the facility underscores its commitment to advancing the nation's space ambitions while ensuring Canadian companies have the resources they need to succeed in a growing and commercializing global space industry. "The David Florida Laboratory is an irreplaceable national asset and the operational transfer to industry at a time of rapid commercialization of the global and domestic space industry is a natural evolution," said Mike Greenley, CEO of MDA Space. "We are honoured to take on this responsibility to ensure DFL remains open to all industry for the long term, preserving Canada's sovereign space capabilities and helping to foster innovation and growth across the Canadian space sector." The David Florida Laboratory will continue to support a range of assembly, integration and test (AI&T) requirements including Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), thermal vacuum, antenna and vibration test services. MDA Space is committed to providing fair and equitable access to all industry partners to test and validate their advanced technologies on a competitive fee-for-services basis. Details of integration and testing services offered at DFL are available on the MDA Space LaunchPad porta l or by contacting [email protected]. ABOUT MDA SPACE Building the space between proven and possible, MDA Space (TSX: MDA) is a trusted mission partner to the global space industry. A robotics, satellite systems and geointelligence pioneer with a 55-year+ story of world firsts and more than 450 missions, MDA Space is a global leader in communications satellites, Earth and space observation, and space exploration and infrastructure. The MDA Space team of more than 3,400 space experts in Canada, the US and the UK has the knowledge and know-how to turn an audacious customer vision into an achievable mission – bringing to bear a one-of-a-kind mix of experience, engineering excellence and wide-eyed wonder that's been in our DNA since day one. For those who dream big and push boundaries on the ground and in the stars to change the world for the better, we'll take you there. For more information, visit
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
James Webb telescope captures images of possible newly discovered exoplanet
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured evidence of a planet beyond the solar system for the first time since its launch in 2021. The exoplanet, a planet beyond our solar system, has been dubbed TWA 7b and orbits the young nearby star TWA 7, NASA said. Scientists believe the exoplanet is around the mass of Saturn and is about 50 times the distance of Earth from the Sun, according to NASA. Usually, planets of this size outside of our solar system are difficult to detect, but scientists used a technique called high-contrast imaging to detect the exoplanet, NASA said. Images of the exoplanet were taken using a coronagraph, which allows researchers to suppress the bright glare of a star to reveal faint nearby objects. Scientists said there was a very small chance the images could show a background galaxy, but evidence "strongly points to the source being a previously undiscovered planet." "Our observations reveal a strong candidate for a planet shaping the structure of the TWA 7 debris disk, and its position is exactly where we expected to find a planet of this mass," said lead researcher Anne-Marie Lagrange. The exoplanet could be a young and cold planet with a mass around 0.3 times that of Jupiter and a temperature near 120 degrees Fahrenheit, according to initial analysis from researchers. The first time scientists discovered an exoplanet was back in 1992. Astronomers have discovered nearly 6,000 exoplanets since then, but none of them are known to be habitable. Hegseth slams Iran strikes initial assessment that contradicts Trump's take Young Cuban girl asks Trump to lift travel ban stopping her from joining mom in U.S. Hegseth lashes out at media over Iran strike reporting
