NASA’s Webb Space Telescope has made history by capturing the first direct images of carbon dioxide in an exoplanet beyond our solar system. The discovery was made about 130 light-years from Earth, in a multiplanet system called HR 8799.
This breakthrough reveals that gas giant planets elsewhere in the galaxy formed in a similar way to Jupiter and Saturn on our own planet. The team’s analysis of the Webb imagery suggests that these planets likely formed through core accretion, a process where solid cores form first and then attract surrounding gas.
The HR 8799 system is relatively young, about 30 million years old, making it an infant in cosmic terms. This youth means the planets emit lots of infrared light, which is perfect for the Webb Space Telescope’s imaging capabilities.
By studying this distant system, scientists hope to gain insights into our own solar system and the possibility of life beyond Earth. They want to understand how other exoplanetary systems compare to ours, in order to contextualize our existence.
The discovery also provides valuable information about the formation of large planets like Jupiter, which can form through two different processes: solid cores merging with gas or collapsing quickly into a planet. The Webb telescope has validated its ability to detect carbon dioxide directly in distant star systems.
This finding is just one example of the groundbreaking discoveries made possible by the Webb Space Telescope. With years of operation ahead, scientists will continue to uncover secrets about planetary formation and the universe, providing new insights into the nature of existence itself.
Source: https://gizmodo.com/webb-telescope-captures-first-direct-evidence-of-carbon-dioxide-on-an-exoplanet-2000576729