A team of international researchers has made groundbreaking discoveries about the atmosphere of SIMP 0136, a free-floating planetary-mass object located in the Milky Way. Using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, the team was able to detect variations in cloud layers, temperature, and carbon chemistry that were previously hidden from view.
SIMP 0136 is a rapidly rotating, free-floating object roughly 13 times the mass of Jupiter, making it an ideal target for exo-meteorology. The object’s unique characteristics allow scientists to study its atmosphere without contamination from a host star.
The team used Webb’s Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) to capture thousands of individual spectra, revealing hundreds of detailed light curves that show the change in brightness of different wavelengths as the object rotated into view. The results provide crucial insight into the three-dimensional complexity of gas giant atmospheres within and beyond our solar system.
The team noticed distinct patterns in the light curves, indicating that different factors are affecting the brightness variations. Cloud layers, temperature, and carbon chemistry all contribute to the variability. The researchers used atmospheric models to determine where each wavelength was originating from, revealing patchy clouds made of iron particles and tiny grains of silicate minerals.
Bright “hot spots” were also detected, which could be related to auroras or upwelling of hot gas from deeper in the atmosphere. Some light curves remain unexplained, suggesting that atmospheric carbon chemistry is a complex and still mysterious component.
These findings are significant because they demonstrate that the abundances of molecules like methane and carbon dioxide can change from place to place and over time. The results provide essential preparation for direct imaging of exoplanets with NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
The James Webb Space Telescope has already proven its capabilities, solving mysteries in our solar system and looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars. This research is a testament to the power of international collaboration and cutting-edge technology.
Source: https://science.nasa.gov/missions/webb/nasas-webb-exposes-complex-atmosphere-of-starless-super-jupiter