Latest news with #AniketSanghi
Economic Times
2 days ago
- Science
- Economic Times
Is there a Saturn-sized world hiding beside our nearest star? James Webb spots a new world next door
Synopsis Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope believe they may have found a Saturn-sized planet orbiting Alpha Centauri A, one of the closest stars to Earth. The world, temporarily glimpsed in 2024, vanished from later Webb observations, sparking simulations to explain its disappearance. If real, it sits within the star's habitable zone, although as a gas giant it cannot support life directly. Still, its moons could. Confirmation would mark the closest planet ever directly imaged around a Sun-like star. NYT News Service An infrared image from the James Webb Space telescope, using a coronagraphic mask to block the bright glare from Alpha Centauri A (represented at center), that reveals a potential planet (circled at left) orbiting the star. Astronomers have found strong evidence that a gassy Jupiter-size world is orbiting Alpha Centauri A, one of three stars in the solar system closest to our own. (NASA via The New York Times) Scientists have announced signs of a possible new planet around Alpha Centauri A, part of the star system nearest to us. The candidate, informally named Alpha Centauri Ab, would orbit in the habitable zone, where liquid water could exist. The find was made using the James Webb Space Telescope in August 2024. Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument, equipped with a coronagraph to block out starlight, revealed a faint object orbiting at around twice the Earth–Sun distance. At that separation, a planet could be warm enough for water, a tantalising prospect so close to home. What complicates the story is that the planet seemed to vanish. Webb picked up the faint signal in 2024 but saw nothing in follow-up observations in February and April 2025.'We are faced with the case of a disappearing planet!' said Aniket Sanghi of the California Institute of Technology, who led the study. His team ran computer models of millions of possible orbits to see what might explain the signal. 'We found that in half of the possible orbits simulated, the planet moved too close to the star and wouldn't have been visible to Webb in both February and April 2025,' Sanghi models also lined up with a 2019 detection by the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, which adds weight to the idea that this planet might be real, simply slipping in and out of view as it traces an elliptical path around its star. Webb's data points to a world about the size of Saturn. Unlike Earth, it would be a gas giant, and so not directly habitable. But astronomers note that large moons around such planets could, in theory, provide conditions suitable for Beichman of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory described the potential significance. 'This would become a touchstone object for exoplanet science, with multiple opportunities for detailed characterisation by Webb and other observatories,' he Centauri is not just any star system. Sitting about four light years away, it is the nearest trio of stars to us, made up of Alpha Centauri A, Alpha Centauri B, and Proxima Centauri. Proxima already has known planets, one of which orbits in its habitable zone, but this new candidate would be the closest planet ever directly imaged around a Sun-like star. That makes it a prime target for studying how planetary systems form and evolve near stars like our system itself is tricky to observe. Alpha Centauri A and B sit close together, their light overlapping. Untangling faint planetary signals from the glare of two bright stars is a technical feat, and part of the reason astronomers tread carefully before declaring this a confirmed case is not closed. With Webb's observations limited by the timing of its view and the planet's possible orbit, astronomers will need more chances to watch Alpha Centauri A. If the planet exists, it should eventually emerge again from the star's upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, expected to launch in 2027, could add critical evidence by providing visible-light observations to complement Webb's infrared now, the world nearest to us remains a mystery. A Saturn-sized neighbour in the habitable zone of Alpha Centauri A might be waiting to be confirmed. As Sanghi put it, the planet may have slipped from sight, but if it is real, it should reveal itself again in the years ahead.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
Is there a Saturn-sized world hiding beside our nearest star? James Webb spots a new world next door
Scientists have announced signs of a possible new planet around Alpha Centauri A , part of the star system nearest to us. The candidate, informally named Alpha Centauri Ab, would orbit in the habitable zone , where liquid water could exist. The find was made using the James Webb Space Telescope in August 2024. Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument, equipped with a coronagraph to block out starlight, revealed a faint object orbiting at around twice the Earth–Sun distance. At that separation, a planet could be warm enough for water, a tantalising prospect so close to home. A signal that disappeared What complicates the story is that the planet seemed to vanish. Webb picked up the faint signal in 2024 but saw nothing in follow-up observations in February and April 2025. 'We are faced with the case of a disappearing planet!' said Aniket Sanghi of the California Institute of Technology, who led the study. His team ran computer models of millions of possible orbits to see what might explain the signal. 'We found that in half of the possible orbits simulated, the planet moved too close to the star and wouldn't have been visible to Webb in both February and April 2025,' Sanghi explained. The models also lined up with a 2019 detection by the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, which adds weight to the idea that this planet might be real, simply slipping in and out of view as it traces an elliptical path around its star. Live Events What the data suggests Webb's data points to a world about the size of Saturn. Unlike Earth, it would be a gas giant , and so not directly habitable. But astronomers note that large moons around such planets could, in theory, provide conditions suitable for life. Charles Beichman of NASA 's Jet Propulsion Laboratory described the potential significance. 'This would become a touchstone object for exoplanet science, with multiple opportunities for detailed characterisation by Webb and other observatories,' he said. Why Alpha Centauri matters Alpha Centauri is not just any star system. Sitting about four light years away, it is the nearest trio of stars to us, made up of Alpha Centauri A, Alpha Centauri B, and Proxima Centauri . Proxima already has known planets, one of which orbits in its habitable zone, but this new candidate would be the closest planet ever directly imaged around a Sun-like star. That makes it a prime target for studying how planetary systems form and evolve near stars like our own. The system itself is tricky to observe. Alpha Centauri A and B sit close together, their light overlapping. Untangling faint planetary signals from the glare of two bright stars is a technical feat, and part of the reason astronomers tread carefully before declaring this a confirmed discovery. The case is not closed. With Webb's observations limited by the timing of its view and the planet's possible orbit, astronomers will need more chances to watch Alpha Centauri A. If the planet exists, it should eventually emerge again from the star's glare. NASA's upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, expected to launch in 2027, could add critical evidence by providing visible-light observations to complement Webb's infrared data. For now, the world nearest to us remains a mystery. A Saturn-sized neighbour in the habitable zone of Alpha Centauri A might be waiting to be confirmed. As Sanghi put it, the planet may have slipped from sight, but if it is real, it should reveal itself again in the years ahead.
NDTV
5 days ago
- Science
- NDTV
A New 'Earth' Next Door? Scientists Detect Possible Habitable Planet Around Closest Sun-Like Star
Astronomers may have uncovered a promising new candidate for extraterrestrial life, right in our stellar neighbourhood. Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), researchers have detected what appears to be a giant exoplanet orbiting Alpha Centauri A, the closest solar twin to our Sun. Located within the Alpha Centauri triple star system, this planet, tentatively named Alpha Centauri Ab, occupies the star's habitable zone, the optimal distance for liquid water to exist on its surface. The discovery, made possible through direct imaging, marks a significant milestone in exoplanet science. If confirmed, this would be the first time such a potentially habitable planet has been identified around our nearest Sun-like neighbour. Scientists believe that Alpha Centauri Ab's location in the "Goldilocks zone" could make it a prime target in the search for life beyond Earth. The finding also underscores JWST's unprecedented capabilities in spotting and studying distant worlds that were once invisible to astronomers. "We found that in half of the possible orbits simulated, the planet moved too close to the star and wouldn't have been visible to Webb in both February and April 2025," said astrophysicist Aniket Sanghi of the California Institute of Technology. Based on the brightness of the planet in the mid-infrared observations and the orbit simulations, researchers say it could be a gas giant approximately the mass of Saturn orbiting Alpha Centauri A in an elliptical path varying between one and two times the distance between the Sun and Earth. "If confirmed, the potential planet seen in the Webb image of Alpha Centauri A would mark a new milestone for exoplanet imaging efforts," Sanghi says. "Of all the directly imaged planets, this would be the closest to its star seen so far. It's also the most similar in temperature and age to the giant planets in our solar system and nearest to our home, Earth," he says. "Its very existence in a system of two closely separated stars would challenge our understanding of how planets form, survive, and evolve in chaotic environments." If confirmed by additional observations, the team's results could transform the future of exoplanet science. "This would become a touchstone object for exoplanet science, with multiple opportunities for detailed characterisation by Webb and other observatories," said Charles Beichman of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute at Caltech's IPAC astronomy centre, co-first author on the new papers.
Yahoo
10-08-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
'The most significant JWST finding to date': James Webb spots — then loses — a giant planet orbiting in the habitable zone of our closest sun-like star
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. There might be a huge planet lurking near one of the closest stars to Earth. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has imaged a possible planet near Alpha Centauri A, a sun-like star that forms part of the triplet Alpha Centauri star group. The mini-cluster is just four light-years from Earth and is a rich ground for astronomers to learn about other star systems. But there's a catch: JWST only spotted the supposed Saturn-size world once — in August 2024 — and two more tries in 2025 came up empty. "We are faced with the case of a disappearing planet," study co-lead author Aniket Sanghi, a doctoral student at Caltech, said in a statement. Astronomers aren't giving up yet. The research team said the planet may have moved in its orbit into the glare of the star — making it temporarily invisible to JWST. "This is a plausible explanation," Stanimir Metchev, Canada Research Chair in Extrasolar Planets at Western University in Ontario, told Live Science via email. Metchev was not involved in the research. "[It] comes with a strict prediction that the planet should again be visible in 2026 or 2027. These follow-up observations will be key for confirming this planet," Metchev added. But assuming the planet is there, "it would be the most significant JWST discovery to date." Related: 'The early universe is nothing like we expected': James Webb telescope reveals 'new understanding' of how galaxies formed at cosmic dawn If confirmed, the planet would be the closest world to Earth that orbits in the habitable zone of a star — the area around a star where water could exist in liquid form, on the rocky surface of an Earth-size world. The newfound Saturn-size exoplanet, however, is likely too large for life as we know it. The purported planet would also be the closest planet to its star ever imaged directly, as it orbits at twice the equivalent distance between Earth and the sun. But none of this is a slam-dunk yet. "The signal is at the limit of what contrast-enhancement techniques applied to JWST images can deliver," Metchev said. "The authors go through a painstaking and believable analysis, but nonetheless any direct image of an exoplanet — especially one with such potential significance — will require an independent confirmation." The Alpha Centauri system is made up of three stars: the sun-like stars Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B, and a fainter red dwarf called Proxima Centauri. Astronomers have already confirmed three planets circling Proxima Centauri. JWST used its Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) for the observations.. Planet-hunting in Alpha Centauri required a custom observing sequence. A coronagraphic mask was also used to block out the light of Alpha Centauri A, enabling JWST to image much fainter planets orbiting nearby. RELATED STORIES — Will we ever reach Alpha Centauri, our closest neighboring star system? — 4 tiny, Earth-like planets found circling 2nd-closest star system to us — and could be visited by future human generations — Proposed spacecraft could carry up to 2,400 people on a one-way trip to the nearest star system, Alpha Centauri "Their extra effort paid off spectacularly," study lead co-author Charles Beichman, executive director of the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute at Caltech, said in the statement. "These are incredibly challenging observations to make, even with the world's most powerful space telescope, because these stars are so bright, close, and move across the sky quickly," Beichman added. In the meantime, the research team hinted more planet-hunting may be coming: "The next closest sun-like star, Tau Ceti [about 12 light-years from Earth], will be much harder even with Webb," Beichman said. NASA"s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which will launch as soon as May 2027, will also be used to search for new worlds. Solve the daily Crossword
