The James Webb Space Telescope Scientists have, for the first time, directly detected the crucial molecule of carbon dioxide in planets beyond our solar system. announced Monday.
According to experts, the gas giants cannot support alien life forms; however, they provide insights into an enduring puzzle concerning the formation of far-off worlds. research published in The Astrophysical Journal .
The HR 8799 star system, located about 130 light-years away from Earth, is merely 30 million years old — quite young when contrasted with our own solar system, which has existed for approximately 4.6 billion years. According to the research findings, a group of scientists based in the U.S., utilizing data from Webb, were able to directly observe carbon dioxide present in the atmospheres of all four recognized planets within this system.
Webb's latest images of two well-known systems, HR 8799 and 51 Eridani and their planets have amazed scientists, providing further insights into the chemical composition of youthful gas giants,” as stated by NASA. statement .
They employed Webb’s coronagraph tools, designed to obstruct light from luminous stars so as to obtain a clearer image of the planets orbiting these stars.
"Imagine holding your thumbnail up against the sun as you gaze into the sky," said lead study author William Balmer, an astrophysicist at Johns Hopkins University, to AFP.
Typically, the Webb telescope identifies exoplanets by observing them as they pass in front of their parent star.
The "transit technique" enabled Webb to indirectly discover CO2 in the atmosphere of the gas giant WASP-39 back in 2022.
However, with this recent finding, "what we’re observing is the actual light emanating from the planet rather than just the signature of that light coming from the host star," explained Balmer.
This isn’t simple—Balmer likened the task to trying to see fireflies with a flashlight next to a lighthouse.
Although these gas giants might not support life themselves, it's conceivable that they could have had moons capable of hosting life, he noted.
Several ongoing missions aim to discover whether life exists within the huge oceans hidden beneath the frozen crusts of multiple Jovian satellites.
"Key piece of proof"
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is crucial for life on our planet, which makes it an important element in the quest to find extraterrestrial life.
Since CO2 turns into tiny ice particles in the extreme chill of space, detecting it can provide insights into how planets form.
According to Balmer, Jupiter and Saturn likely initially formed through a "bottom-up" mechanism where numerous small ice fragments combined to create a solid nucleus. This core subsequently attracted gases to expand into massive planets.
Thus, the recent finding serves as a "crucial piece of evidence" indicating that distant planets may also develop through processes akin to those observed in nearby planetary systems, according to Balmer.
However, how widespread this phenomenon is across the universe remains uncertain.
The aim of this type of research is to gain insight into our solar system, life, and our place within it by comparing them to other exoplanetary systems, thus helping us better understand our position in the universe, Balmer said We aim to capture images of other solar systems and observe their similarities or differences relative to our own. This will help us understand whether our solar system is exceptionally unusual or rather typical among others.
Astronomers have currently identified almost 6,000 exoplanets, most of which are quite large — and so far, none has been found to be inhabitable.
According to Balmer, the "significant advancement we need to achieve" is concentrating our efforts on planets of similar size to Earth.
The NASA Nancy Grace Roman space telescope plans to utilize a coronagraph for this purpose shortly following its anticipated launch in 2027.
The previous year, the Webb telescope discovered carbon dioxide And hydrogen peroxide present on the surface of Charon, which is Pluto's biggest satellite.
Balmer aims to utilize Webb for observing additional four-planet systems, yet he also noted that future funding has become uncertain.
The previous week saw the Trump administration declare that NASA's top scientist had been let go, suggesting that further reductions loom for the American space agency.
