James Webb telescope may have found a rocky exoplanet with an atmosphere
The hunt for an Earth-like planet shielded with a protective atmosphere has so far eluded scientists, but a new detection by the James Webb Space Telescope could be the first.
Astronomers are taking a closer look at GJ 486b, relatively close to our solar system at just 26 light-years away in the constellation Virgo. Discovered two years ago, it's a rocky exoplanet about 30 percent larger than Earth, orbiting a red dwarf star every 1.5 days.
Despite its being so close to its host star and having a scorching-hot temperature of about 800 degrees Fahrenheit, the planet shows signs of having water vapor — a hint that the alien world may have an atmosphere swaddling the planet.
"Water vapor in an atmosphere on a hot rocky planet would represent a major breakthrough for exoplanet science," said Kevin Stevenson, the principal investigator of the study from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, in a statement. "But we must be careful and make sure that the star is not the culprit."
SEE ALSO:Sorry Trekkies: Bad news about the 'real-life Planet Vulcan'Tweet may have been deleted
Why do we need an atmosphere?
NASA has playfully called Earth's atmosphere its "security blanket:" Without it, the type of life flourishing on the planet wouldn't exist. This cocoon holds oxygen in the air and filters out harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun, all while keeping our world warm and habitable. Furthermore, it creates pressure that allows liquid water to exist on Earth's surface.
Water vapor has been discovered on gassy exoplanets before, but never for a rocky or terrestrial planet akin to Earth, Mars, Mercury, and Venus.
Perhaps surprisingly, though, another possible explanation for the vapor detected by Webb is that water is coming from the outer layer of the nearby red dwarf star — cooler than the sun — not from the planet at all. Scientists will need more observations to determine if the exoplanet indeed has an atmosphere and how much water is present.
Webb researchers found hints of water vapor in their analysis of a rocky exoplanet. Credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / Joseph Olmsted (STScI)Even the sun sometimes has water vapor in sunspots because these areas are much cooler compared to the surrounding surface of the star. Given that the recently found exoplanet's star is much cooler than the sun, Webb researchers say it's even more plausible water vapor would concentrate within its starspots. That means no one yet knows whether the star is mimicking the signal they'd see from a planet's atmosphere.
Want more scienceand tech news delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newslettertoday.
“Water vapor in an atmosphere on a hot rocky planet would represent a major breakthrough for exoplanet science."
The new Webb research will be published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
GJ 486b is a rocky exoplanet about 30 percent larger than Earth, orbiting a red dwarf star every 1.5 days. Credit: NASA / ESA / G. Bacon (STScI)How does Webb study exoplanets?
Webb, a collaboration of NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency, is the most powerful infrared telescope in space. Astronomers say its scientific capabilities are igniting a golden age in our understanding of the universe. One of its key missions is to peer into the atmospheres of other worlds. Discoveries of water and methane, for example — important ingredients for life as we know it — could be signs of potential habitability or biological activity.
The Webb researchers used a technique called transmission spectroscopy to study the exoplanet. When these worlds cross in front of their host star, starlight is filtered through their atmospheres. Molecules within the atmosphere absorb certain light wavelengths, or colors, so by splitting the star’s light into its basic parts — a rainbow — astronomers can detect what light segments are missing to discern the molecular makeup of an atmosphere.
Related Stories
- How Webb just changed our concept of Uranus forever
- Webb telescope just started peering at the fascinating TRAPPIST planets
- Webb telescope spots unusual world with terrifying clouds
- Sorry Trekkies: Bad news about the 'real-life Planet Vulcan'
- Watch these distant planets orbit their star in spectacular time-lapse
After observing two instances of the planet crossing in front of its star, the researchers used three different methods to analyze the data. All were consistent in showing a strong likelihood for a water vapor signal, according to a post by the Space Telescope Science Institute, which operates the instrument.
Tweet may have been deleted
"We didn’t observe evidence of the planet crossing any starspots during the transits. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t spots elsewhere on the star," said Ryan MacDonald, a co-author from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, in a statement. "And that’s exactly the physical scenario that would imprint this water signal into the data and could wind up looking like a planetary atmosphere."
If you're thinking this means Earthlings have found a Plan B planet, don't get too excited: Scientists say GJ 486b appears to be too close to its star to be habitable. But if it does have an atmosphere, they hope to learn whether such a rocky planet could maintain the protective cocoon, even as its super-close star cooks it away with heat and solar radiation.
How could such a planet replenish its atmosphere?
One theory suggests volcanoes spewing steam from deep within the planet.
-
Understanding Relational vs. NonCPUs Don't Matter For 4K Gaming... Wrong!Friends and family react to British swimmer winning at Olympics and it's pure joySenate Republicans confirm Lawrence VanDyke to the 9th Circuit.“大体老师”的故事:以生命点亮生命人大代表“做媒”企业送技术进村Linktree steps into Web3 with new NFT featuresThe most heartwarming reunions and hugs post让法治建设成效更加可感可及Democrats announce two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump.
- ·Webb telescope discovers 6 rogue worlds. They didn't form the way you'd expect.
- ·Historic Amazon unionization effort seems to have failed in Alabama
- ·Navigating the shady world of influencer cryptocurrency giveaway scams
- ·强化食品安全 监管守护“舌尖上的安全”
- ·This shark lives for centuries. Scientists discover how it resists aging.
- ·Satellite imagery shows flood damage at N. Korea's nuclear test site: Beyond Parallel
- ·Moon, Kim vow to 'meet frequently in the future'
- ·Nearly 80% of young people don’t know what to trust when accessing sex ed online
- ·Trump trials: Jack Smith is reportedly reconsidering his strategy.
- ·YouTube temporarily suspends Sky News Australia for spreading COVID
- ·Apple's new accessibility features: door detection and live captions
- ·IKEA Canada made an ugly, judgemental bisexual couch
- ·古物:回望时间的印记
- ·Marcus Rashford pens heartfelt letter following racist abuse after Euro final
- ·Navigating the shady world of influencer cryptocurrency giveaway scams
- ·540名乡村听障儿童的“伍妈妈”:20年坚守铺就“新声”之路丨广东乡村好人②
- ·雅安公安接连破获两起汉源湖非法捕捞案
- ·Peloton Tread+ treadmill will finally work without a paid subscription again
- ·Linktree steps into Web3 with new NFT features
- ·Senate Republicans confirm Lawrence VanDyke to the 9th Circuit.
- ·We Asked GPT Some Tech Questions, Can You Tell Which Answers Are Human?
- ·National security advisers of S. Korea, US, Japan to meet in Hawaii
- ·“云上”看熊猫 千里圆心愿
- ·National security advisers of S. Korea, US, Japan to meet in Hawaii
- ·Against All Odds: How Netflix Made It
- ·S. Korea to lift pre
- ·Kamala Harris’ ridiculous problem with the political press.
- ·Trump slams Fox News for interviews with Comey, Schiff.
- ·The Second Amendment gun sanctuary movement has constitutional problems.
- ·对标对表检查验收 立行立改推动问题解决
- ·Top 10 Most Significant Nvidia GPUs of All Time
- ·New York City paid McKinsey millions to reduce violence at Rikers Island Jail Complex.
- ·National security advisers of S. Korea, US, Japan to meet in Hawaii
- ·Senate Republicans confirm Lawrence VanDyke to the 9th Circuit.
- ·Ford can make your Mustang Mach
- ·The most astounding and important black holes in the universe