Webb Maps Olivine-Rich Surface of Nearby Airless Super-Earth
TL;DR
JWST’s mid-infrared spectroscopy reveals LHS 3844 b, a rocky super-Earth about 50 light-years away, has a dark, olivine-rich crust with no detectable CO2 or SO2 and likely no atmosphere. The planet is roughly 30% larger than Earth, orbits its red dwarf in 11 hours, and is tidally locked, resulting in a scorching dayside and a barren surface. This demonstrates JWST’s ability to infer surface texture and geology of distant worlds, opening new possibilities for direct exoplanet terrain characterization via infrared data.
Topics:sciencespace#exoplanets#james-webb-space-telescope#lhs-3844-b#mid-infrared-spectroscopy#space#super-earth
- James Webb Space Telescope Brings Details Of Nearby 'Super-Earth' Into Focus Jalopnik
- James Webb Space Telescope directly studies an exoplanet's surface for the 1st time: 'We see a dark, hot, barren rock' Space
- The dark and featureless surface of rocky exoplanet LHS 3844 b from JWST mid-infrared spectroscopy Nature
- Astronomers Explore the Surface Composition of a Nearby Super-Earth Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
- Astronomers Determine the Surface of a Rocky Planet Beyond Our Solar System for the First Time ZME Science
Want the full story? Read the original reporting
Read on Jalopnik