James Webb Space Telescope discovered its first exoplanet - it is the size of Earth, but looks like Venus
The James Webb Space Telescope has only been in operation for six months, but it has already managed to surprise the scientific community. And not just once. Recently, with its help, scientists discovered a new exoplanet.
Here's What We Know
The planet is called LHS 475b. It is located in the constellation Octans and is the first exoplanet discovered by telescope James Webb. LHS 475b is 41 light years from the Sun, and its dimeter is 99% that of Earth.
A whole new world!
- NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) January 11, 2023
41 light-years away is the small, rocky planet LHS 475b. At 99% of Earth's diameter, it's almost exactly the same size as our home world. This marks the first time researchers have used Webb to confirm an exoplanet. https://t.co/hX8UGXplq2 #AAS241 pic.twitter.com/SDhuZRfcko
Astronomers used the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) to study the changing brightness of a star. It was with its help that they realized that the observed area could be home to an exoplanet. The existence of LHS 475b has been confirmed by a near-infrared spectrograph James Webb.
Scientists have not yet determined the composition of the atmosphere. But they are almost 100% sure that the atmosphere is not dominated by methane. It is not yet possible to rule out the predominance of carbon dioxide.
If we believe the data obtained by James Webb, the temperature of the discovered exoplanet is a few hundred degrees higher than Earth's. The presence of clouds would make LHS 475 b look like Venus.
It is also worth noting that the exoplanet is closer to its star than Saturn is to the Sun. However, the temperature of the red dwarf is 50% the temperature of the Sun. Therefore, scientists do not rule out the presence of an atmosphere at LHS 475 b.
