Washington on August 26, : NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has discovered the first clear evidence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of an extra-solar planet.solar system.The research, expected to be reported in the journal Nature offers the possibility that in the near future, Webb may be able to detect and measure carbon dioxide in the thinner atmospheres of smaller planets with rocky surfaces.
This view of gas giant planet called ‘WASP-39 B’, which is in orbit around a Sun-like star located 700 light-years away , provides crucial information about the formation and composition of the planet as the US space agency stated in a statement late Thursday.
“As shortly as the results was displayed in my computer, the colossal carbon dioxide feature caught my attention.It was an unforgettable moment that crossed the threshold of significance in exoplanet research,” said Zafar Rustamkulov who is a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University.
WASP-39 B is a hot-gas giant with an estimated mass of one-quarter larger than of Jupiter (about similar to Saturn) and its diameter 1.3 times larger than Jupiter.
Previous observations made by other telescopes, such as NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes, showed the presence of sodium, water vapor as well as potassium in the atmosphere of the planet.
Webb’s infrared sensitivity that is unmatched has confirmed the presence of carbon dioxide the planet, too.
“Detecting such a clear sign of carbon dioxide in WASP-39b is a good sign for the detection of atmospheric systems on smaller terrestrial-sized planets.” explained Natalie Batalha of the University of California at Santa Cruz who is the head of the team.
Knowing the structure of the atmosphere of a planet is crucial because it can reveal something about the history of our planet, and the way it grew.
“Carbon dioxide molecules are sensitive tracer of the history of the formation of our planet,” said Mike Line of Arizona State University.
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