"Webb Telescope Discovers Water Vapor in Exoplanet Systems"

The James Webb Space Telescope may have detected a rocky exoplanet with an atmosphere, which would be a major breakthrough for exoplanet science. GJ 486b, a rocky exoplanet about 30% larger than Earth, shows signs of having water vapor, but scientists must determine if the star is not the source. The Webb telescope used transmission spectroscopy to study the exoplanet and found a strong likelihood for a water vapor signal. While GJ 486b is too close to its star to be habitable, scientists hope to learn whether such a rocky planet could maintain a protective atmosphere.