Astronomers from the University of Exeter led the effort to capture the first direct image of an exoplanet using the pioneering James Webb Space Telescope.
The remarkable image shows the gas giant HIP65426b, about five to ten times the mass of Jupiter and formed 15-20 million years ago.
The observations were led by Professor Sasha Hinkley from the University of Exeter, in collaboration with an international team of researchers.
Professor Hinkley says “this is a transformative moment, not just for Webb but for astronomy in general. With Webb, there’s a whole new set of physics we can do to look at the chemistry of these planets.”
Astronomers discovered the planet in 2017 using the SPHERE instrument on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile. These previous images of the planet were created using short infrared wavelengths of light and covered only a relatively narrow range of the total emission from the planet.
The presence of most exoplanets has only been inferred using indirect methods, such as the transit method in which some of the host star’s light is blocked by a planet passing in front. However, taking direct images of exoplanets has proven more challenging, as the host stars the planets orbit are much brighter, in this case several thousand times to ten thousand times brighter.
For the new image, the research team used mid- and thermal infrared light, revealing new details that ground-based telescopes would not be able to pick up due to the inherent infrared glow of Earth’s atmosphere. These include details about the chemical composition of the planet’s atmosphere, which appears red because of minerals, called silicates, that form fine dust in the atmosphere.
The team believes the image shows how the James Webb Telescope’s powerful infrared gaze can capture more worlds beyond our solar system, pointing the way to future observations that will reveal more information than ever about exoplanetary systems.
Since the planet is about 100 times farther from its host star than Earth is from the Sun, it is far enough from the star that Webb could separate the planet from the star in the image. JWST’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) are equipped with coronagraphs, which are sets of tiny masks that block out starlight, allowing Webb to take direct images of some exoplanets like it.
“It was really impressive how well the JWST coronagraphs worked to suppress the star light,” Hinckley said.
Webb telescope makes first clear detection of carbon dioxide in exoplanet atmosphere More information: Aarynn L. Carter et al, The JWST Early Release Science Program for Direct Observations of Exoplanetary Systems I: High Contrast Imaging of the Exoplanet HIP 65426 b by 2- 1 µm, arXiv (2022). arXiv:2208.14990 [astro-ph.EP]. doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2208.14990 Journal Information: arXiv Provided by University of Exeter
Reference: First image of exoplanet revealed by James Webb Space Telescope (2022 September 1) Retrieved September 1, 2022 by
This document is subject to copyright. Except for any fair dealing for purposes of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without written permission. Content is provided for informational purposes only.
title: “The First Image Of An Exoplanet By The James Webb Space Telescope Has Been Revealed Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-29” author: “Johnny Hyden”
Astronomers from the University of Exeter led the effort to capture the first direct image of an exoplanet using the pioneering James Webb Space Telescope.
The remarkable image shows the gas giant HIP65426b, about five to ten times the mass of Jupiter and formed 15-20 million years ago.
The observations were led by Professor Sasha Hinkley from the University of Exeter, in collaboration with an international team of researchers.
Professor Hinkley says “this is a transformative moment, not just for Webb but for astronomy in general. With Webb, there’s a whole new set of physics we can do to look at the chemistry of these planets.”
Astronomers discovered the planet in 2017 using the SPHERE instrument on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile. These previous images of the planet were created using short infrared wavelengths of light and covered only a relatively narrow range of the total emission from the planet.
The presence of most exoplanets has only been inferred using indirect methods, such as the transit method in which some of the host star’s light is blocked by a planet passing in front. However, taking direct images of exoplanets has proven more challenging, as the host stars the planets orbit are much brighter, in this case several thousand times to ten thousand times brighter.
For the new image, the research team used mid- and thermal infrared light, revealing new details that ground-based telescopes would not be able to pick up due to the inherent infrared glow of Earth’s atmosphere. These include details about the chemical composition of the planet’s atmosphere, which appears red because of minerals, called silicates, that form fine dust in the atmosphere.
The team believes the image shows how the James Webb Telescope’s powerful infrared gaze can capture more worlds beyond our solar system, pointing the way to future observations that will reveal more information than ever about exoplanetary systems.
Since the planet is about 100 times farther from its host star than Earth is from the Sun, it is far enough from the star that Webb could separate the planet from the star in the image. JWST’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) are equipped with coronagraphs, which are sets of tiny masks that block out starlight, allowing Webb to take direct images of some exoplanets like it.
“It was really impressive how well the JWST coronagraphs worked to suppress the star light,” Hinckley said.
Webb telescope makes first clear detection of carbon dioxide in exoplanet atmosphere More information: Aarynn L. Carter et al, The JWST Early Release Science Program for Direct Observations of Exoplanetary Systems I: High Contrast Imaging of the Exoplanet HIP 65426 b by 2- 1 µm, arXiv (2022). arXiv:2208.14990 [astro-ph.EP]. doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2208.14990 Journal Information: arXiv Provided by University of Exeter
Reference: First image of exoplanet revealed by James Webb Space Telescope (2022 September 1) Retrieved September 1, 2022 by
This document is subject to copyright. Except for any fair dealing for purposes of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without written permission. Content is provided for informational purposes only.
title: “The First Image Of An Exoplanet By The James Webb Space Telescope Has Been Revealed Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-10” author: “Cynthia Carriere”
Astronomers from the University of Exeter led the effort to capture the first direct image of an exoplanet using the pioneering James Webb Space Telescope.
The remarkable image shows the gas giant HIP65426b, about five to ten times the mass of Jupiter and formed 15-20 million years ago.
The observations were led by Professor Sasha Hinkley from the University of Exeter, in collaboration with an international team of researchers.
Professor Hinkley says “this is a transformative moment, not just for Webb but for astronomy in general. With Webb, there’s a whole new set of physics we can do to look at the chemistry of these planets.”
Astronomers discovered the planet in 2017 using the SPHERE instrument on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile. These previous images of the planet were created using short infrared wavelengths of light and covered only a relatively narrow range of the total emission from the planet.
The presence of most exoplanets has only been inferred using indirect methods, such as the transit method in which some of the host star’s light is blocked by a planet passing in front. However, taking direct images of exoplanets has proven more challenging, as the host stars the planets orbit are much brighter, in this case several thousand times to ten thousand times brighter.
For the new image, the research team used mid- and thermal infrared light, revealing new details that ground-based telescopes would not be able to pick up due to the inherent infrared glow of Earth’s atmosphere. These include details about the chemical composition of the planet’s atmosphere, which appears red because of minerals, called silicates, that form fine dust in the atmosphere.
The team believes the image shows how the James Webb Telescope’s powerful infrared gaze can capture more worlds beyond our solar system, pointing the way to future observations that will reveal more information than ever about exoplanetary systems.
Since the planet is about 100 times farther from its host star than Earth is from the Sun, it is far enough from the star that Webb could separate the planet from the star in the image. JWST’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) are equipped with coronagraphs, which are sets of tiny masks that block out starlight, allowing Webb to take direct images of some exoplanets like it.
“It was really impressive how well the JWST coronagraphs worked to suppress the star light,” Hinckley said.
Webb telescope makes first clear detection of carbon dioxide in exoplanet atmosphere More information: Aarynn L. Carter et al, The JWST Early Release Science Program for Direct Observations of Exoplanetary Systems I: High Contrast Imaging of the Exoplanet HIP 65426 b by 2- 1 µm, arXiv (2022). arXiv:2208.14990 [astro-ph.EP]. doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2208.14990 Journal Information: arXiv Provided by University of Exeter
Reference: First image of exoplanet revealed by James Webb Space Telescope (2022 September 1) Retrieved September 1, 2022 by
This document is subject to copyright. Except for any fair dealing for purposes of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without written permission. Content is provided for informational purposes only.
title: “The First Image Of An Exoplanet By The James Webb Space Telescope Has Been Revealed Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-04” author: “Florence Feltus”
Astronomers from the University of Exeter led the effort to capture the first direct image of an exoplanet using the pioneering James Webb Space Telescope.
The remarkable image shows the gas giant HIP65426b, about five to ten times the mass of Jupiter and formed 15-20 million years ago.
The observations were led by Professor Sasha Hinkley from the University of Exeter, in collaboration with an international team of researchers.
Professor Hinkley says “this is a transformative moment, not just for Webb but for astronomy in general. With Webb, there’s a whole new set of physics we can do to look at the chemistry of these planets.”
Astronomers discovered the planet in 2017 using the SPHERE instrument on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile. These previous images of the planet were created using short infrared wavelengths of light and covered only a relatively narrow range of the total emission from the planet.
The presence of most exoplanets has only been inferred using indirect methods, such as the transit method in which some of the host star’s light is blocked by a planet passing in front. However, taking direct images of exoplanets has proven more challenging, as the host stars the planets orbit are much brighter, in this case several thousand times to ten thousand times brighter.
For the new image, the research team used mid- and thermal infrared light, revealing new details that ground-based telescopes would not be able to pick up due to the inherent infrared glow of Earth’s atmosphere. These include details about the chemical composition of the planet’s atmosphere, which appears red because of minerals, called silicates, that form fine dust in the atmosphere.
The team believes the image shows how the James Webb Telescope’s powerful infrared gaze can capture more worlds beyond our solar system, pointing the way to future observations that will reveal more information than ever about exoplanetary systems.
Since the planet is about 100 times farther from its host star than Earth is from the Sun, it is far enough from the star that Webb could separate the planet from the star in the image. JWST’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) are equipped with coronagraphs, which are sets of tiny masks that block out starlight, allowing Webb to take direct images of some exoplanets like it.
“It was really impressive how well the JWST coronagraphs worked to suppress the star light,” Hinckley said.
Webb telescope makes first clear detection of carbon dioxide in exoplanet atmosphere More information: Aarynn L. Carter et al, The JWST Early Release Science Program for Direct Observations of Exoplanetary Systems I: High Contrast Imaging of the Exoplanet HIP 65426 b by 2- 1 µm, arXiv (2022). arXiv:2208.14990 [astro-ph.EP]. doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2208.14990 Journal Information: arXiv Provided by University of Exeter
Reference: First image of exoplanet revealed by James Webb Space Telescope (2022 September 1) Retrieved September 1, 2022 by
This document is subject to copyright. Except for any fair dealing for purposes of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without written permission. Content is provided for informational purposes only.
