Astronomers have reported the first detection of light emitted by an Earth-like exoplanet using a space telescope. James Webb. The discovery was made in the solar system TRAPPIST-1which has seven rocky worlds and is located 40 light years away, a distance that is considered small in spatial terms.

The planet in question is TRAPPIST-1 bthe innermost part of the system – just like Mercury it is in the solar system, being slightly larger and more massive than the Earth, it makes an revolution around its star in just 1.5 Earth days and receives four times more energy than we do. These characteristics classify it outside the habitable zone, but are good for research.

Led research Thomas Green at the Ames Research Center NASA, used the telescope’s infrared camera to observe the planet as it passes behind the star. The scientists used a technique known as secondary eclipse photometry to measure the light emitted by the exoplanet and then ruled out the brightness of the parent star.

The temperature on the bright side of the planet is 230°C.

The team compared readings from five separate eclipse observations and found that the surface temperature of the planet on the bright side is about 500 kelvins, which is 230 degrees Celsius, with no emission of ambient gases or absorption of light. The high measurements, together with environmental characteristics, have led the team to conclude for now that TRAPPIST-1 b has no atmosphere.

James Webb will continue to monitor other eclipses and will map the surface of an exoplanet in its orbit to confirm if it has an atmosphere.

This discovery is important because small cool stars like TRAPPIST-1 are the most common type in our galaxy. Finding new planets with similar characteristics will be made easier by the telescope’s powerful technology and increase the chances of finding extraterrestrial life. The next step is to study the objects that are in the habitable zone of the system.

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Source: ExtremeTech

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