This artists principle depicts the planet GJ 1214 b, a “mini-Neptune” with what is likely a steamy, hazy environment. A new research study based on observations by NASAs Webb telescope provides insight into this type of world, the most typical in the galaxy.
NASAs James Webb Space Telescope has observed a steamy, highly reflective mini-Neptune exoplanet, GJ 1214 b, using its Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) to expose information about its environment. The watery environment suggests that the planet formed further from its star before spiraling inward, but more observations are required to understand mini-Neptune development.
NASAs James Webb Space Telescope has observed a distant planet outside our planetary system– and unlike anything in it– to reveal what is likely an extremely reflective world with a steamy atmosphere. Its the closest look yet at the mysterious world, a “mini-Neptune” that was mostly impenetrable to previous observations.
And while the world, called GJ 1214 b, is too hot to harbor liquid-water oceans, water in vaporized type still might be a huge part of its environment.
A new research study based on observations by NASAs Webb telescope offers insight into this type of world, the most typical in the galaxy.” The world is totally blanketed by some sort of haze or cloud layer,” said Eliza Kempton, a scientist at the University of Maryland and lead author of a new paper, published in Nature, on the planet. The heat map revealed– simply before the planets orbit carried it behind the star, and as it emerged on the other side– both its day and night sides, revealing information of the atmospheres structure.
Previous spectroscopic observations show that the planet is shrouded in aerosols (clouds or haze), which made it difficult to determine the structure of gases that make up its thick atmosphere before Webb. While a watery environment appears most likely for this world, a significant methane component also is possible.
” The planet is absolutely blanketed by some sort of haze or cloud layer,” stated Eliza Kempton, a researcher at the University of Maryland and lead author of a brand-new paper, released in Nature, in the world. “The environment simply stayed totally concealed from us until this observation.” She kept in mind that, if undoubtedly water-rich, the planet could have been a “water world,” with big amounts of watery and icy material at the time of its development.
To penetrate such a thick barrier, the research group took a possibility on an unique method: In addition to making the basic observation– recording the host stars light that has filtered through the worlds atmosphere– they tracked GJ 1214 b through almost its entire orbit around the star.
The observation demonstrates the power of Webbs Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), which views wavelengths of light outside the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that human eyes can see. Using MIRI, the research study team was able to produce a kind of “heat map” of the planet as it orbited the star. The heat map exposed– prior to the planets orbit brought it behind the star, and as it emerged on the other side– both its day and night sides, revealing details of the environments composition.
This is an earlier illustration showing what exoplanet GJ 1214 b might appear like based on the information offered at the time. GJ 1214 b, a warm sub-Neptune-sized exoplanet approximately 48 light-years from Earth, is one of the most studied exoplanets in the galaxy. Previous spectroscopic observations indicate that the world is shrouded in aerosols (clouds or haze), that made it difficult to figure out the structure of gases that make up its thick environment before Webb. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and D. Player (STScI).
” The ability to get a full orbit was truly important to comprehend how the world distributes heat from the day side to the night side,” Kempton said. “Theres a lot of contrast between day and night. The night side is colder than the day side.” In fact, the temperatures shifted from 535 to 326 degrees Fahrenheit (from 279 to 165 degrees Celsius).
Such a huge shift is only possible in an environment comprised of much heavier particles, such as water or methane, which appear similar when observed by MIRI. That indicates the atmosphere of GJ 1214 b is not composed generally of lighter hydrogen molecules, Kempton stated, which is a potentially essential hint to the worlds history and development– and perhaps its watery start.
” This is not a prehistoric atmosphere,” she stated. “It does not reflect the structure of the host star it formed around. Rather, it either lost a great deal of hydrogen, if it started with a hydrogen-rich atmosphere, or it was formed from much heavier elements to start with– more icy, water-rich material.”.
Cooler Than Expected.
And while the planet is hot by human standards, it is much cooler than anticipated, Kempton kept in mind. Thats because its unusually glossy atmosphere, which came as a surprise to the researchers, shows a large portion of the light from its moms and dad star rather than absorbing it and growing hotter.
The brand-new observations could open the door to deeper knowledge of a planet type shrouded in unpredictability. Mini-Neptunes– or sub-Neptunes as theyre called in the paper– are the most typical kind of world in the galaxy, but mysterious to us because they do not happen in our planetary system. Measurements so far reveal they are broadly similar to, say, a scaled down version of our own Neptune. Beyond that, little is understood.
The James Webb Space Telescope is an advanced space observatory developed to check out deep space, examine far-off celestial bodies, and reveal the mysteries of our planetary system. Credit: Northrup Grumman.
” For the last practically decade, the only thing we really understood about this world was that the environment was cloudy or hazy,” stated Rob Zellem, an exoplanet scientist who deals with co-author and fellow exoplanet researcher Tiffany Kataria at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “This paper has actually cool ramifications for additional comprehensive climate interpretations– to look at the comprehensive physics occurring inside this planets environment.”.
The brand-new work suggests the world may have formed farther from its star, a type called a red dwarf, then spiraled gradually inward to its present, close orbit. The worlds year– one orbit around the star– takes just 1.6 Earth days.
” The simplest description, if you find an extremely water-rich world, is that it formed further away from the host star,” Kempton said.
More observations will be needed to select more details about GJ 1214 b in addition to the development histories of other planets in the mini-Neptune class. While a watery environment promises for this planet, a substantial methane element also is possible. And drawing wider conclusions about how mini-Neptunes form will need more of them to be observed in depth.
” By observing an entire population of items like this, ideally we can build up a consistent story,” Kempton said.
Referral: “A reflective, metal-rich atmosphere for GJ 1214b from its JWST phase curve” by Eliza M.-R. Kempton, Michael Zhang, Jacob L. Bean, Maria E. Steinrueck, Anjali A. A. Piette, Vivien Parmentier, Isaac Malsky, Michael T. Roman, Emily Rauscher, Peter Gao, Taylor J. Bell, Qiao Xue, Jake Taylor, Arjun B. Savel, Kenneth E. Arnold, Matthew C. Nixon, Kevin B. Stevenson, Megan Mansfield, Sarah Kendrew, Sebastian Zieba, Elsa Ducrot, Achrène Dyrek, Pierre-Olivier Lagage, Keivan G. Stassun, Gregory W. Henry, Travis Barman, Roxana Lupu, Matej Malik, Tiffany Kataria, Jegug Ih, Guangwei Fu, Luis Welbanks and Peter McGill, 10 May 2023, Nature.DOI: 10.1038/ s41586-023-06159-5.
More About the Mission.
The James Webb Space Telescope stands as the primary space science observatory in the world. Charged with unraveling enigmas within our planetary system, checking out remote worlds orbiting other stars, and investigating the bewildering structures and origins of our universe, Webb works as a critical tool in comprehending our place in the cosmos. This worldwide endeavor is led by NASA, in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
MIRIs development was made possible through a joint effort between NASA and ESA. The U.S. side of the MIRI project was led by NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory, while a varied group of European huge institutes supported ESAs participation. The MIRI cryocooler development was handled and led by JPL, in cooperation with Northrop Grumman in Redondo Beach, California, and NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.