NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has provided the most detailed image of an exoplanet’s atmosphere. By analyzing data from the four instruments, the team of astronomers were able to compile a complete molecular and chemical profile of the planet, including signs of active chemistry. One of the main goals of the Webb telescope is to analyze the atmospheres of exoplanets in greater detail than ever before in hopes of finding potential worlds that could support or support life. In the telescope’s first data broadcast in July, it detected signs of water vapor in the atmosphere of planet WASP-96 b, and later carbon dioxide in WASP-39 b.

Now James Webb has studied the last planet in much greater detail, creating a complete picture of the entire composition of its atmosphere. WASP-39b was found to contain sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, water vapor, sodium and potassium. At the same time, methane and hydrogen sulfide were not detected. This is not only the first detection of sulfur dioxide in an exoplanet’s atmosphere, but also the first direct sign of active chemistry on an exoplanet, as this molecule is formed as a result of chemical reactions triggered by light from its host star.

“We knew what he was going to show us. [телескоп]but it’s actually more accurate, more diverse, and more beautiful than I believed,” said study author Hannah Wakeford.

Webb detects these molecules by studying the spectrum of a planet passing in front of its host star. Different chemicals absorb different wavelengths of light to different degrees, so by analyzing starlight filtering through a planet’s atmosphere, astronomers can tell which molecules are present based on which colors are blocked. James Webb focuses infrared light, allowing him to capture details that other telescopes would miss.

Chemical fingerprints and specific proportions of different molecules can tell scientists a lot about how the planet formed. For example, WASP-39 b appears to have been born far from where it is today, with many siblings swallowing the earth along the way.

“High sulfur content [відносно] hydrogen indicates that the planet has a significant planetary accumulation that could possibly deliver. [ці інгредієнти] to the atmosphere,” said study author Kazumasa Ono. “The data also show that there is much more oxygen in the atmosphere than carbon. This potentially indicates that WASP-39b originally formed away from the central star.”

The ultimate goal of James Webb’s atmospheric analysis is to look for direct signs of life. This did not happen on WASP-39 b as it is a gas giant like Jupiter, but on rocky planets like those in the TRAPPIST-1 system, signatures of molecules like methane could be a sign of alien life. Source