Page 6 - Spec Tech Vol 1 Issue 03
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NASA's Webb detects carbon dioxide in
exoplanet atmosphere
Image Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured the first clear evidence for carbon dioxide
in the atmosphere of a planet outside the solar system. This observation of a gas giant planet
orbiting a Sun-like star 700 light-years away provides important insights into the composition and
formation of the planet. The finding offers evidence that in the future Webb may be able to detect
and measure carbon dioxide in the thinner atmospheres of smaller rocky planets.
Previous observations from other telescopes, including NASA's Hubble and Spitzer space
telescopes, revealed the presence of water vapor, sodium, and potassium in the planet's
atmosphere. Webb's unmatched infrared sensitivity has now confirmed the presence of carbon
dioxide on this planet as well.
A series of light curves from Webb’s Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) shows the change in
brightness of three different wavelengths (colors) of light from the WASP-39 star system over
time as the planet transited the star July 10, 2022.
Space Explorer 2022 6
