All articles tagged with #pink planet
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers study the cold planetary-mass companion GJ504b and find a pink-hued atmosphere likely shaped by salty clouds (potentially potassium chloride or zinc sulfide) and a complex mix of gases. The spectral analysis suggests the object is more planet-like than a brown dwarf, marking a milestone in understanding dim, chilly worlds and highlighting clouds’ crucial role in interpreting their spectra.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers obtained the first direct spectrum of the cool, pink exoplanet GJ 504 b and detected signatures of water vapor, methane, carbon dioxide, and ammonia; when salt clouds are included in atmospheric models, the data align with theory, implying a metal-rich planet aged roughly 2.5–4 billion years and highlighting clouds’ key role in interpreting similar faint exoplanets.
The James Webb Space Telescope has for the first time obtained a spectrum of GJ 504 b, the so-called Pink Planet, showing its light is best explained by a hazy atmosphere with salt clouds. The analysis detects water vapor, CO, methane, CO2, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, plus signs of metal enrichment and disequilibrium chemistry, suggesting a dynamic, cloud-forming atmosphere. The planet is extremely cold for a directly imaged world (about 564 K) and sits near the planetary-mass/brown-dwarf boundary; the salt-cloud model is the key to fitting the spectrum, though the object's exact nature remains unsettled. The result demonstrates JWST’s ability to study faint, cold exoplanets and tests cloud-formation theories long discussed in theoretical work.