Latest news with #TanguyBertrand
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Science
- Time of India
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope uncovers mysterious ‘climate system' on Pluto regulated by strange blue haze
Source: Live Science NASA 's James Webb Space Telescope is again on its way to expand the understanding of the outer solar system. And this time, the explanation on its dwarf planet Pluto that keeps defying expectations. Nearly a decade earlier, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft shattered the notion of the upended assumptions about Pluto's lifelessness, where new data revealed by JWST confirms something extraordinary. One of the biggest surprises which floated above all is Pluto's blueish haze, which isn't just a visual marvel but actively regulates the planet's climate. With James Webb Space Telescope data-gathering in full swing, astronomers hope to study other hazy bodies in the solar system and beyond. The success of this Pluto study may lead to new models of climate formation on exoplanets with thick, layered atmospheres. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope uncovers Pluto's mysterious climate system When NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto in 2015, it shattered the image of Pluto as a dull, frozen rock. Instead, it unveiled a dynamic world marked by vast icy plains, mountain ranges made of water ice, and most intriguingly, a bluish, multi-layered haze that enveloped the planet. This haze extended more than 185 miles (300 km) above Pluto's surface, surprising scientists with its complexity and reach. The discovery hinted that Pluto might have a more active atmosphere than previously believed — but at the time, its true impact remained uncertain. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Pluto's haze role in climate regulation revealed Astronomers have now confirmed that Pluto's haze does more than decorate the sky, dedicatedly thanks to the infrared capabilities of JWST. This significantly cools the atmosphere. According to a study published in Nature Astronomy on June 2, this haze absorbs sunlight during the day and releases it as infrared radiation at night, effectively regulating the dwarf planet's temperature. 'This is unique in the solar system,' said Tanguy Bertrand, the study's lead author and an astronomer at the Paris Observatory. 'It's a new kind of climate.' Pluto's haze composition Pluto's haze is composed of complex organic molecules known as tholins, which form when ultraviolet sunlight breaks down methane and nitrogen in the upper atmosphere. These particles then clump together into tiny haze layers that can trap and release heat. Back in 2017, planetary scientists proposed that this haze might be behind Pluto's unusually cold upper atmosphere measured at about -333°F (-203°C), or roughly 30 degrees cooler than models based on gas-only atmospheres had predicted. The idea was compelling, but proving it was another matter entirely. James Webb Space Telescope confirms Pluto's climate theory by separating signals from its Moon One major challenge in confirming the theory was Charon, Pluto's large moon, which orbits so closely that its thermal signal overlaps with Pluto's in most telescope data. This made it nearly impossible to isolate the haze's specific thermal impact. That changed with James Webb Space Telescope. In 2022, its superior infrared resolution allowed researchers to separate the emissions from Pluto and Charon. What they found confirmed the 2017 hypothesis: Pluto's mid-infrared brightness which is caused by its haze and perfectly matched earlier predictions. 'In planetary science, it's not common to have a hypothesis confirmed so quickly,' said Xi Zhang, who led the 2017 study. 'We feel pretty lucky and very excited.' What Pluto's skies reveal about the origins of life on Earth The discovery isn't just a milestone for understanding Pluto but it also opens up new possibilities for studying other hazy celestial bodies. Moons like Titan (Saturn) and Triton (Neptune) are shrouded in their own thick hazes and may exhibit similar atmospheric behaviors. Researchers even suggest that early Earth might have once resembled Pluto. Before oxygen filled our skies, Earth may have had a tholin-rich haze that acted like an insulating blanket, helping stabilize the climate and create conditions that allowed life to evolve. 'By studying Pluto's haze and chemistry,' Zhang said, 'we might get new insights into the conditions that made early Earth habitable.' Also Read | Why the US leads in UFO sightings; here's the surprising truth behind the numbers revealed
NDTV
9 hours ago
- Science
- NDTV
Astronomers Discover "New Kind Of Climate" On Pluto
Pluto, long reclassified as a dwarf planet, continues to surprise scientists. Astronomers recently detected new features in its high-altitude haze - revealing more than previously known. Once thought to be a frozen, featureless world, Pluto was found to have icy plains and rugged mountains when NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew past it in 2015. Now, researchers have studied a bluish and multi-layered haze around Pluto, which stretched more than 300 kilometres above the surface. The astronomers noted that the haze is not just a visual oddity, but something that controls the dwarf planet's climate. In the study titled, Evidence of haze control of Pluto's atmospheric heat balance from JWST/MIRI thermal light curves, astronomers revealed that they detected and measured the thermal emission of Pluto's haze. They said that the "observed fluxes indicate that Pluto's haze is composed of Titan-like organic particles as well as hydrocarbon and nitrile ices and demonstrate that the haze largely controls Pluto's atmospheric balance". Pluto's temperatures, climate and general circulation should therefore be substantially affected by the haze across seasons, the study said. "This is unique in the solar system. It's a new kind of climate, let's say," Tanguy Bertrand, who is an astronomer at the Paris Observatory in France, who led the analysis, told Live Science. The findings were published on June 2 in the journal Nature Astronomy. Mysteries of Pluto Pluto's reclassification as a dwarf planet in 2006 sparked debate. Pluto's surface composition, including nitrogen ice and tholins, is still not fully understood. Pluto has a thin atmosphere which freezes and thaws as it orbits the Sun. Pluto's five known moons, including Charon, Nix, Hydra, Kerberos and Styx, pose questions about formation and evolution.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
James Webb telescope discovers 'a new kind of climate' on Pluto, unlike anything else in our solar system
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have taken a fresh look at the distant edges of our solar system — and found that, once again, Pluto is defying expectations. When NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto in 2015, it shattered the notion that the dwarf planet was a dormant ball of ice, instead revealing it to be rich with icy plains and jagged mountains. But one of the biggest surprises floated above it all: a bluish, multi-layered haze blanketing the world's sky, stretching more than 185 miles (300 kilometers) above the surface — far higher and more intricate than scientists had predicted. Now, nearly a decade later, new data from JWST confirm that Pluto's haze isn't just a visual oddity, it also controls the dwarf planet's climate. "This is unique in the solar system," Tanguy Bertrand, an astronomer at the Paris Observatory in France who led the analysis, told Live Science. "It's a new kind of climate, let's say." The findings, described in a study published June 2 in the journal Nature Astronomy, suggest similar dynamics may be at play on other haze-shrouded worlds in our solar system, and even offer clues about our own planet's early climate. Pluto's high-altitude haze is made of complex organic molecules from sunlight-driven reactions of methane and nitrogen. The idea that this haze could control Pluto's climate was first proposed in 2017. Computer models suggested these particles absorb sunlight during the day and release it back into space as infrared energy at night, cooling the atmosphere much more efficiently than gases alone. This could also explain why Pluto's upper atmosphere is roughly -333 degrees Fahrenheit (-203 degrees Celsius) — 30 degrees cooler than expected. Related: Why is Pluto not considered a planet? For years, however, testing that theory proved difficult. One major challenge was Pluto's large moon, Charon, which orbits the frigid planet so closely that their thermal signals often overlap in telescope data. "Basically, we couldn't know what part of the signal is due to Charon and what part is due to Pluto's haze," Bertrand said. The researchers behind the 2017 study predicted that Pluto's haze would make the world unusually bright in mid-infrared wavelengths — a prediction that, at the time, could only be tested with future instruments. That opportunity arrived in 2022, when JWST's powerful infrared instruments were finally able to separate the two worlds' signals. Sure enough, the faint infrared glow of Pluto's haze matched the predictions. "In planetary science, it's not common to have a hypothesis confirmed so quickly, within just a few years," Xi Zhang, a planetary scientist at the University of California, Santa Cruz who led the 2017 team, said in a statement. "So we feel pretty lucky and very excited." RELATED STORIES —James Webb telescope unveils largest-ever map of the universe, spanning over 13 billion years —42 jaw-dropping James Webb Space Telescope images —Pluto's huge white 'heart' has a surprisingly violent origin, new study suggests These findings also open up the possibility that similar haze-driven climates might exist on other hazy worlds, such as Neptune's moon Triton or Saturn's moon Titan, Bertrand said. Even Earth's distant past might bear a resemblance, the researchers said. Before oxygen transformed our planet's skies, it's possible that Earth was veiled in a haze of organic particles — a blanket that may have helped stabilize temperatures and foster early life. "By studying Pluto's haze and chemistry, we might get new insights into the conditions that made early Earth habitable," Zhang said in the statement.
