Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
A new exoplanet type has been revealed through thick clouds, thanks to James Webb's insights.
GJ 1214 b, a planet 48 light-years away, shows carbon-rich traits similar to Venus's atmosphere.
The James Webb Space Telescope enabled this breakthrough in planetary atmospheric studies.
Kazumasa Ohno, planetary scientist at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, identified CO2 dominance in GJ 1214 b's atmosphere.
Everett Schlawin, astronomer at the University of Arizona, validated CO2 signals using detailed models.
Representative pic
Ohno's models depict GJ 1214 b as a “super-Venus,” differing from previously theorized water worlds.
Schlawin compared analyzing the faint CO2 signals to finding a single altered sentence in Tolstoy’s War and Peace.
Ohno and Schlawin stressed the importance of further studies to confirm GJ 1214 b's profile.
The findings challenge prior assumptions, offering new insights into planetary system formation.
Representative pic
These revelations redefine our understanding of exoplanets and expand the boundaries of astronomy.
Representative pic