Webb Telescope photographs young exoplanet the size of Saturn for the first time
Kyiv • UNN
The James Webb Telescope has taken the first direct image of the exoplanet TWA 7 b, which is the smallest in mass of all those observed directly. This discovery demonstrates the capabilities of the telescope and allows the study of the formation of planetary systems at an early stage of development.
The James Webb Telescope has taken the first direct image of a small exoplanet forming around a young star 110 light-years from Earth. The gas giant TWA 7 b is the smallest mass exoplanet ever seen directly, The Guardian writes, reports UNN.
The James Webb Space Telescope has obtained unprecedented direct images of the young exoplanet TWA 7 b, located approximately 110 light-years from Earth.
Details
This is the first exoplanet of such low mass - approximately the mass of Saturn - to be directly captured in a photo. It is 10 times smaller than any other planet observed by "direct" methods to date.
TWA 7 b orbits a young star and moves through a disk of dust and rocky debris. Scientists captured three concentric rings in the images, in the center of which this planet is located. Its orbit is tens of times farther from the star than the distance from Earth to the Sun, and a full revolution takes several hundred years.
Here we are looking at a system that is about 6 million years old, so we are really observing the youth of a planetary system
Scientists have shown stunning video of the aurora borealis on Jupiter13.05.25, 17:55 • 3768 views
How the photo was obtained
Until now, almost all of the more than 6,000 known exoplanets have been detected by indirect methods - mainly using the so-called transit method, when the shadow of a planet is recorded against the background of a star. Direct photography was still considered extremely difficult due to the faint brightness of planets compared to their stars.
To circumvent this difficulty, Lagrange's team used a special telescopic attachment that mimics an eclipse and hides the light of the star, allowing objects to be seen nearby. This is what made it possible to photograph the planet TWA 7 b, which appears in the images as a bright light inside a narrow ring.
This discovery not only demonstrates the technical capabilities of "Webb", but also allows us to look into the formation of planetary systems in the early stages of their development.
New revolutionary telescope shows first images of the sky23.06.25, 08:50 • 3854 views