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<\/p>\nWith help from the joint NASA\/ESA\/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, two teams of scientists have made groundbreaking, first-of-their-kind discoveries on two exoplanets. One team utilized the immense power of Webb\u2019s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) and Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) instruments to observe and characterize clouds and molecules in the atmosphere of an exoplanet located 40 light-years away.<\/p>\n
The second team of scientists also utilized MIRI to measure the temperature of a rocky exoplanet in the TRAPPIST-1 star system, located around 40 light-years away from Earth. The teams determined the temperature by measuring the infrared light emitted by the planet \u2014 the first time any light emitted by a rocky exoplanet has been detected and measured by a telescope.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Webb Characterizes Clouds and Molecules in Exoplanet\u2019s Atmosphere<\/p>\n
Throughout the last few decades, scientists have continued to learn more and more about the atmospheres of exoplanets scattered throughout the Milky Way. Using telescopes like Hubble and NASA\u2019s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), scientists could characterize the atmospheres of exoplanets for several years. However, scientists typically have to identify one atmospheric feature at a time \u2014 until now.<\/p>\n
Webb\u2019s latest exoplanet observations continue to display the true power of the infrared telescope, as teams were able to extract the data for multiple atmospheric features from a single observation of the exoplanet by Webb. No other telescope identified as many exoplanetary features in a single observation as Webb did in this one observation of the exoplanet.<\/p>\n
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Artist\u2019s illustration of VHS 1256b, with swirling silicate clouds seen in the planet\u2019s upper atmosphere. (Credit: NASA\/ESA\/CSA\/Joseph Olmsted (STScI))<\/p>\n
The exoplanet, named \u201cVHS 1256b,\u201d is located around 40 light-years away from Earth around a tightly-locked binary star system. With an orbital period of approximately 10,000 years, the planet orbits its host stars at a distance that is around four times the distance between Pluto and our Sun. This made VHS 1256b a fantastic target for Webb, as the light emitted by the exoplanet wouldn\u2019t be mixed in with the light emitted by its host stars \u2014 meaning a coronagraph or the commonly-used transit method wouldn\u2019t be needed when collecting data on the exoplanet.<\/p>\n
Although its orbital distance and period are nothing short of extreme, its rotational period is fairly normal, completing a single rotation in 22 hours. VHS 1256b\u2019s strange characteristics continue to impress, though, as each time the planet completes a single rotation, its thick atmosphere rises, mixes, and moves dramatically \u2013 so much so that VHS 1256b\u2019s intense brightness changes, caused by its ever-changing atmosphere, make it the most variable planetary-mass object ever discovered. Swirling in the upper atmosphere of the exoplanet are silicate clouds, which churn in scorching atmospheric temperatures as high as 830 degrees Celsius.<\/p>\n
SpaceX launch tickets (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n What\u2019s more, Webb\u2019s data also indicated the presence of water, methane, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. Led by Brittany Miles of the University of Arizona, the team\u2019s observations represent the most molecules ever detected in an exoplanetary atmosphere from a single observation.<\/p>\n The silicate clouds in VHS 1256b\u2019s atmosphere can remain at high altitudes due to the planet\u2019s low gravity \u2014 unlike many other brown dwarf exoplanets, which have stronger gravitational forces. Webb was able to collect data on the clouds because of their high atmospheric altitude, and the data showed both large and small silicate particles in these silicate clouds, which can be seen on a spectrum created by Webb\u2019s NIRSpec and MIRI instruments.<\/p>\n The emission spectrum of VHS 1256b, measured by the James Webb Space Telescope. (Credit: NASA\/ESA\/CSA\/J. Olmsted (STScI)\/Brittany Miles (University of Arizona)\/Sasha Hinkley (University of Exeter)\/Beth Biller (University of Edinburgh)\/Andrew Skemer (University of California, Santa Cruz))<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re seeing a lot of molecules in a single spectrum from Webb that detail the planet\u2019s dynamic cloud and weather systems,\u201d said Miles.<\/p>\n \u201cThe finer silicate grains in its atmosphere may be more like tiny particles in smoke. The larger grains might be more like very hot, very small sand particles,\u201d said co-author Beth Biller of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.<\/p>\n In addition to the high-altitude silicate clouds, VHS 1256b\u2019s tumultuous atmosphere may be caused by the planet\u2019s age. At only 150 million years old, VHS 1256b is quite young in astronomical terms, meaning it is likely still in the later stages of its formation and has not yet begun to cool to normal planetary temperatures.<\/p>\n However, though these findings are groundbreaking, they\u2019re just the initial findings from Miles et al. As the team continues to comb through the data, they\u2019ll likely find more elements or structures in the atmosphere of the exoplanet. Furthermore, the data has been pulled from only a single observation of the exoplanet. Future observations of VHS 1256b could reveal even more about its volatile atmosphere and extreme characteristics.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve identified silicates, but better understanding which grain sizes and shapes match specific types of clouds is going to take a lot of additional work. This is not the final word on this planet \u2013 it is the beginning of a large-scale modeling effort to fit Webb\u2019s complex data,\u201d Miles said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a huge return on a very modest amount of telescope time. With only a few hours of observations, we have what feels like unending potential for additional discoveries,\u201d Biller added.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/stsci-01gvk9hwa971609gk3m9fj02ry-350x215.jpg\")
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