For first time, Webb telescope discovers an alien planet
WASHINGTON, June 25 (Reuters) - 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 known.
Webb 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).
Most 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.
This 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 Nature, opens new tab.
The 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 said.
The 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.
Because 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 sitting.
The 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 it.
While 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.
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Reuters
18 hours ago
- Reuters
For first time, Webb telescope discovers an alien planet
WASHINGTON, June 25 (Reuters) - 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 known. Webb 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). Most 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. This 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 Nature, opens new tab. The 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 said. The 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. Because 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 sitting. The 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 it. While 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.
Scottish Sun
18 hours ago
- 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 Independent
18 hours ago
- The Independent
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope just found its first exoplanet
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured an image of an exoplanet for the first time since it began science operations in July of 2022. The previously unknown celestial body has been named 'TWA 7 b.' It is located some 110 light-years away from Earth around the constellation Antlia and orbits the young nearby star TWA 7. 'After eliminating the possibility of a potential observation bias, the scientists concluded that it was most probably an exoplanet,' the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) said in a statement. The image was taken using a coronagraph on the telescope's Mid-Infrared Instrument, which is also known as 'MIRI.' Coronagraphs are used to block out the light of stars such as the sun in order to observe fainter nearby objects. The findings, spearheaded by a researcher at the center, were published on Wednesday in the journal Nature. The center developed the coronagraph, alongside the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission. Looking within a disk of rocky debris and dust around the star, scientists have previously identified concentric ring-like structures within them. Until now, astronomers had suspected the structures resulted from gravitational interaction between the building blocks of planets and unidentified planets. TWA 7, which was one of two systems they looked at, has three rings. 'One of the two systems, named TWA 7, has three distinct rings, one of which is especially narrow, and surrounded by two empty areas with almost no matter,' the center said. The image Webb took revealed the potential source. 'Detailed simulations have indeed confirmed the formation of a thin ring and a 'hole' at the exact planet's position, which perfectly corresponds to the observations made with the JWST,' the center noted. With a mass comparable to Saturn, TWA 7 b is easier to detect in the mid-infrared thermal range because it is some 10 times lighter than those previously snapped in images. The recently formed planets in these systems are also still hot, making them brighter than their older counterparts. There are currently more than 5,900 confirmed exoplanets that exist beyond our solar system. Most of them orbit other stars and the majority of those that have been discovered are in our Milky Way galaxy. But, NASA believes that billions exist. Exoplanets help to better understand how planetary systems form including our own. However, they are often drowned out by starlight. Scientists hope to capture images of planets with even less mass in the future using Webb. 'This result marks a new step in the research and direct imaging of increasingly small exoplanets, which are more similar to the Earth than to the gas giants of the Solar System,' the center wrote.
