With the help of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), sulfur dioxide (SO2) has now been detected for the first time in the atmosphere of a planet outside our solar system (exoplanet). According to the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), it is an exoplanet named WASP-39b and a “new milestone” for the space observatory, which “opens a new window into the past of exoplanets”.
WASP-39b is a hot gas giant outside our solar system. At nearly 1,150 light-years from Earth, the planet orbits its Sun-like star every 3.4 days and is clearly visible to James Webb.
Astronomers chose the exoplanet from the “Hot Jupiter” category to test the JWST because its inflated atmosphere is particularly suited to the transit spectroscopy method. Understanding how a planet’s atmosphere is composed allows conclusions to be drawn about the planet’s origins and its development.
Indeed, the JWST (pictured above) has been able to fully develop its potential with its scientific instruments: with the help of the NIRISS starfinder and imager, the near-infrared camera (NIRCam) and the near-infrared spectrograph (NIRSpec), an international research team has fingerprint of sulfur dioxide detected in the light that traversed WASP-39b’s atmosphere.
“This is a novelty and a big step”
The devices on the JWST cover different parts of the infrared spectrum and wavelengths between 0.5 and 5 microns. “This is a first and major step forward in the history of exoplanet research. Because such high-resolution coverage allows us to fully capture the chemistry of exoplanet atmospheres,” explains Ludmila Carone of the Graz Institute for Space Research (IWF) of the OeAW on the occasion of the most recent publications.
The evaluation of the data (graph above) shows a wealth of already known atoms and molecules such as sodium (Na), potassium (K), water (H2O), carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2). The environment of the hot gas giant turned out to be rich in hydrogen (H) and helium (He). Molecules such as H2O, CO and CO2 were to be expected. However, the spectrum also showed a “hill” that surprised the scientists.
“Suddenly you saw a molecule more than expected,” explains IWF director Christiane Helling. Spectroscopy experts identified the molecule: it was sulfur dioxide (SO2), which caused great astonishment in a hydrogen-helium-rich gas giant like WASP-39b.
Because the “normal” chemistry did not suggest the presence of sulfur dioxide (SO2). However, the scientists have already found a possible explanation for this: According to this, photons with sufficient energy – in this case the UV radiation from the central star of WASP-3b – can split atmospheric molecules such as hydrogen sulfide (H2S). and water (H2O). . The fission products can then form new combinations – such as SO2.
Source: Krone
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