Webb Maps Olivine-Rich Surface of Nearby Airless Super-Earth

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.