Webb Telescope Reveals Surprising Lack of Atmosphere on Distant Exoplanets

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has measured the temperature of the rocky exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 b, which orbits an ultracool red dwarf star 40 light-years from Earth. The planet's dayside temperature of about 450 degrees Fahrenheit suggests that it has no significant atmosphere. This is the first detection of any form of light emitted by an exoplanet as small and as cool as the rocky planets in our own solar system. The result marks an important step in determining whether planets orbiting small active stars like TRAPPIST-1 can sustain atmospheres needed to support life.