US EditionWebb Reveals the Origin of the Ultra-Hot Exoplanet WASP-121b
- Astronomers used the James Webb Space Telescope in 2025 to study the ultra-hot exoplanet WASP-121b orbiting extremely close to its star every 30.5 hours.
- Researchers determined that WASP-121b formed far from its star, likely between the equivalent of Jupiter and Uranus distances, before migrating inward to its current orbit.
- The planet is tidally locked, featuring a blisteringly hot side with temperatures exceeding 3000°C where gases such as SiO, CO, and vaporized H₂O dominate, while its opposite hemisphere remains cooler at around 1500°C and contains a notable presence of methane.
- The detected molecules and a super-stellar carbon-to-oxygen ratio imply WASP-121b gathered carbon-rich gas after oxygen-rich pebbles stopped flowing, challenging existing exoplanet atmospheric models.
- These findings suggest strong vertical winds circulate methane on the nightside, indicating that exoplanet dynamical models must adapt to explain the complex mixing in WASP-121b's atmosphere.
19 Articles
19 Articles
“Groundbreaking” James Webb Space Telescope Discoveries on WASP-121b Set "a Precedent for Future Exoplanet Studies”
New James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observations of exoplanet WASP-121b are contributing valuable clues about how the planet formed from a disc of dust and gas surrounding its parent star. Astronomers Thomas Evans-Soma and Cyril Gapp led the team as they unveiled the planet’s atmospheric carbon, oxygen, and silicon levels from Webb’s water vapor, carbon monoxide, silicon monoxide, and methane detections. One of the most intriguing elements of…
Science Daily
Webb reveals the origin of the ultra-hot exoplanet WASP-121b
Tracing the origin of an ultra-hot exoplanet: The chemical composition of WASP-121b suggests that it formed in a cool zone of its natal disc, comparable to the region of gas and ice giants in our Solar System. Methane indicates unexpected atmospheric dynamics: Despite extreme heat, methane was detected on the nightside -- a finding that can be explained by strong vertical atmospheric circulation. First detection of silicon monoxide in a planetar…
James Webb Space Telescope Discovers the Earliest Galaxy Ever Seen
The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered the most distant galaxy ever observed, named MoM z14. NASA estimates it existed just 280 million years after the Big Bang. Space.com reports: Prior to the discovery of MoM z14, the galaxy holding the title of earliest and distant was JADES-GS-z14-0, whi...
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has made a very special discovery with the galaxy MoM z14: It was created only 280 million years after the Big Bang and is thus the oldest known galaxy so far. read more on t3n.de
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