HISTORIC! NASA James Webb Telescope finds its FIRST Earth-sized exoplanet | Tech News

HISTORIC! NASA James Webb Telescope finds its FIRST Earth-sized exoplanet

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has confirmed its first exoplanet that is the size of the Earth. Know all about this new planet here.

By: HT TECH
| Updated on: Jan 13 2023, 12:17 IST
NASA reveals stunning Jupiter images captured by James Webb Space Telescope
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1/6 Amazingly, currently, on Jupiter, there are auroras, storms, extreme temperatures and powerful winds stirring things up, according to NASA. The images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope could give scientists a look at the conditions of the gas giant. (NASA)
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2/6 Planetary astronomer Imke de Pater, professor emerita of the University of California, Berkeley said, “We hadn’t really expected it to be this good, to be honest. It’s really remarkable that we can see details on Jupiter together with its rings, tiny satellites, and even galaxies in one image.” (NASA)
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3/6 The images were captured by the telescope's Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) instrument on July 27, which highlighted the planet's unique features. According to NASA, the NIRCam has three specialized infrared filters that showcase details of the planet. (AFP)
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4/6 The image was created by compositing several images. Auroras are visible near the Northern and Southern poles of the planet. According to NASA, the auroras shine in a filter that is mapped to redder colors, which also highlights light reflected from lower clouds and upper hazes. (NASA)
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5/6 The Great Red Spot as well as other clouds can be visible in the images as white since it is reflecting the sunlight. The Great Red Spot is a giant vortex which has been swirling around on Jupiter’s surface for a long time. Jupiter’s 2 moons, Amalthea and Adrastea can also be seen “photo-bombing” the planet. (REUTERS)
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6/6 Thierry Fouchet, a professor at the Paris Observatory, as part of an international collaboration for Webb’s Early Release Science program said, “This one image sums up the science of our Jupiter system program, which studies the dynamics and chemistry of Jupiter itself, its rings, and its satellite system.” (NASA/AFP)
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The newly found exoplanet by NASA's James Webb Telescope is 41 light-years away from Earth. (NASA)

For the first time ever, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has confirmed the discovery of its first planet outside our solar system. The planet found by the Webb telescope was classified as LHS 475 b, the planet which is almost exactly the same size as our planet, clocking in at 99 percent of Earth's diameter. NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) hinted towards the existence of this newly found planet, which helped the team to choose this target for the James Webb Telescope. Planet LHS 475 b is relatively close. NASA says that it is 41 light-years away from Earth, in the constellation Octans.

"The fact that it is also a small, rocky planet is impressive for the observatory,” the research team head Kevin Stevenson said. “These first observational results from an Earth-size, rocky planet open the door to many future possibilities for studying rocky planet atmospheres with Webb. It is bringing us closer and closer to a new understanding of Earth-like worlds outside our solar system, and the mission is only just getting started,” Mark Clampin, Astrophysics Division director at NASA Headquarters in Washington mentioned.

More about Earth-like exoplanet

NASA's James Webb Telescope team also noted that there is the possibility that planet LHS 475 b has no atmosphere. Another head of the researcher Lustig-Yaeger suggested that a 100 percent carbon dioxide atmosphere is so much more compact that it becomes very challenging to detect. The Webb telescope also revealed that the planet is a few hundred degrees warmer than Earth. That means, if researchers will detect clouds, then it may lead to the research conclusion that the exoplanet is more like Venus, which has a carbon dioxide atmosphere and has trick clouds.

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Moreover, the Earth-like exoplanet completes an orbit in just two days, the observation confirmed. Though, planet LHS 475 b is closer to its star than any planet in our solar system. Even its red dwarf star is less than half the temperature of the Sun which makes researchers believe that the planet has an atmosphere.

The observation of this new exoplanet has been possible due to James Webb's Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec), which makes it easier to capture the planet easily and clearly with only two transit observations.

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First Published Date: 13 Jan, 12:16 IST
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