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India Today
5 days ago
- Science
- India Today
James Webb telescope has discovered an alien planet for the first time
In addition to providing a trove of information about the early universe, the James Webb Space Telescope since its 2021 launch has obtained valuable data on various already-known planets beyond our solar system, called exoplanets. Now, for the first time, Webb has discovered an exoplanet not previously has directly imaged a young gas giant planet roughly the size of Saturn, our solar system's second-largest planet, orbiting a star smaller than the sun located about 110 light-years from Earth in the constellation Antlia, researchers said. A light-year is the distance light travels in a year, 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km).advertisementMost of the roughly 5,900 exoplanets discovered since the 1990s have been detected using indirect methods, such as through observation of the slight dimming of a star's light when a planet passes in front of it, called the transit method. Less than 2% of them have been directly imaged, as Webb did with the newly identified planet. While this planet is large when considered in the context of our solar system, it is actually the least massive one ever discovered through direct imaging - 10 times less massive than the previous record holder. This speaks to the sensitivity of Webb's instruments. The empty area around exoplanet TWA 7 B is shown in the R2 ring, CC #1. (Photo: Reuters) advertisementThis discovery was achieved using a French-produced coronagraph, a device that blocks out the bright light from a star, installed on Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument, or MIRI."Webb opens a new window - in terms of mass and the distance of a planet to the star -of exoplanets that had not been accessible to observations so far. This is important to explore the diversity of exoplanetary systems and understand how they form and evolve," said astronomer Anne-Marie Lagrange of the French research agency CNRS and LIRA/Observatoire de Paris, lead author of the study published on Wednesday in the journal planet orbits its host star, called TWA 7, at a distance about 52 times greater than Earth's orbital distance from the sun. To put that in perspective, our solar system's outermost planet Neptune orbits about 30 times further from the sun than Earth. The transit method of discovering exoplanets is particularly useful for spotting those orbiting close to their host star rather than much further out like the newly identified one."Indirect methods provide incredible information for planets close to their stars. Imaging is needed to robustly detect and characterize planets further away, typically 10 times the Earth- to-sun distance," Lagrange birth of a planetary system begins with a large cloud of gas and dust - called a molecular cloud - that collapses under its own gravity to form a central star. Leftover material spinning around the star in what is called a protoplanetary disk forms planets. The star and the planet in this research are practically newborns - about 6 million years old, compared to the age of the sun and our solar system of roughly 4.5 billion years. The star and the planet in this research are practically newborns - about 6 million years old, compared to the age of the sun and our solar system of roughly 4.5 billion of the angle at which this planetary system is being observed - essentially looking at it from above rather than from the side - the researchers were able to discern the structure of the remaining disk. It has two broad concentric ring-like structures made up of rocky and dusty material and one narrow ring in which the planet is researchers do not yet know the composition of the planet's atmosphere, though future Webb observations may provide an answer. They also are not certain whether the planet, being as young as it is, is still gaining mass by accumulating additional material surrounding this planet is the smallest ever directly imaged, it is still much more massive than rocky planets like Earth that might be good candidates in the search for life beyond our solar system. Even with its tremendous capabilities of observing the cosmos in near-infrared and mid-infrared wavelengths, Webb is still not able to directly image Earth-sized exoplanets."Looking forward, I do hope the projects of direct imaging of Earth-like planets and searches for possible signs of life will become a reality," Lagrange said.- EndsTrending Reel
New York Post
5 days ago
- Science
- New York Post
James Webb Space Telescope discovers its first exoplanet as stunning image is revealed
This discovery is out of this world. For the first time since its operations began in 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured a direct image, published by the journal Nature, of a new exoplanet — a planet that orbits outside the solar system. This discovery marks a major breakthrough in astronomy and a 'new step' in the ongoing search for planets that exist beyond our solar system. Advertisement This discovery was made possible by a team from France's National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), working at the Observatoire de Paris-PSL in partnership with Université Grenoble Alpes. 3 The James Webb Space Telescope captures images of exoplanet TWA 7 B's disk. JWST/ESO/Lagrange From Earth, these planets appear directly next to bright stars, so their faint signals often get lost in the glare. Advertisement To combat this, the CNRS team designed a chronograph — a special telegraphic tool for the JWST that blocks out a star's light, much like how the Moon blocks out the Sun during a solar eclipse. Named TWA 7b, the newly discovered planet is surrounded by a swirling disk of rocky debris and dust — remnants from the early stages of planet formation. It orbits a young star, TWA 7, which has three distinct rings, one of which is especially narrow, and is surrounded by two empty areas. The JWST revealed a source within the heart of this narrow ring. Advertisement This exoplanet is 10 times smaller — roughly the size of Saturn — than any exoplanet previously observed using this method. Which has to be tiny considering the JWST gave way to six distant 'rogue' worlds, discovered by a team at Johns Hopkins University last summer. At the time, researchers believed that these worlds were potentially brown dwarfs — the astronomical term for failed stars. 'If you have an object that looks like a young Jupiter, is it possible that it could have become a star under the right conditions?' said lead study author Adam Langeveld. Advertisement Other relevant discoveries made by the JWST around the same time provided data to researchers from the University of Michigan and Montreal to assume that there are potential oceans and air sources on the exoplanet dubbed LHS 1140 b, which is located within the constellation Cetus in the night sky. 3 The James Webb Space Telescope is shown before its 2021 launch. via REUTERS 3 The Webb telescope previously captured jaw-dropping visualizations of other areas, including these dramatic 'cosmic cliffs' in the Carina Nebula Complex. NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI. / SWNS Most exoplanets we know about have been detected using indirect methods like measuring a star's wobble or dimming as a planet crosses in front of it — the method scientists artificially recreated to discover TWA 7 b. In the bigger picture, learning how planets like TWA 7 b form and shape their surroundings brings us one step closer to understanding the origins of planetary systems, including our own.
