For the first time, researchers have confirmed the existence of a planet orbiting another star using the James Webb Space Telescope. According to NASA, the planet is officially classified as LHS 475 b and is almost exactly the same size as our planet.
The diameter of LHS 475 b is about 99 percent that of Earth. With Webb’s precise light curve, the researchers were able to confirm that the planet completes one orbit around its star in just two days. But even though the planet is closer to its star than any planet in our solar system, it orbits a red dwarf star whose temperature is less than half that of the Sun.
After careful review of targets of interest by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, the research team chose to observe the target location with the Webb Telescope. The Space Observatory (NIRCam) (Near Infrared Spectrograph) was able to capture the planet easily with only two transit observations.
“These first results from observations of a rocky planet the size of Earth open the door to many future opportunities for studying rocky planet atmospheres with Webb. The Web is bringing us closer and closer to a new understanding of Earth-like worlds outside our solar system, and the mission is just beginning,” Mark Clampin, who is a member of the research team, said in a press statement. The results of the research were presented at an American Astronomical Society (AAS) press conference on Wednesday.
According to NASA, Webb is the only telescope capable of characterizing the atmospheres of Earth-sized planets orbiting distant stars. Webb is sensitive enough to detect a range of molecules in LHS 475 b’s atmosphere, but researchers have yet to draw definitive conclusions. In fact, it is even possible that the planet has no atmosphere.
While they cannot yet say what is present in the planet’s atmosphere, they can confirm what is not. For example, they know that the planet does not have a thick methane-dominated atmosphere like that found on Saturn’s moon Titan.
But one of the most interesting aspects of the study is the fact that it opens up the possibility of identifying more Earth-sized terrestrial planets. This ability could potentially prove useful in the search for other habitable planets.
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