All articles tagged with #exoplanet atmosphere
JWST observations of TOI-561 b, a rocky world with a ~10-hour orbit close to its star, reveal a volatile-rich atmosphere and heat redistribution consistent with a magma-ocean–atmosphere cycle. This challenges the long-held view that such irradiated planets shed their atmospheres and revises the idea of the cosmic shoreline separating atmospheric from airless worlds.
The James Webb Space Telescope discovered a unique, lemon-shaped exoplanet called PSR J2322-2650b orbiting a pulsar, with an atmosphere dominated by helium and carbon, featuring clouds of carbon soot that may form diamonds, and exhibiting an unusual formation process that challenges current understanding of planet formation.
A study using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope found no detectable Earth-like atmosphere on the exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 d, which is similar in size to Earth and located in its star's habitable zone. The absence of atmospheric molecules like water, methane, or carbon dioxide suggests the planet may have a thin atmosphere, thick clouds, or none at all, highlighting the challenges of studying planets around volatile red dwarf stars. Ongoing observations of other TRAPPIST-1 planets may reveal more about their potential habitability.