A group of astronomers made an intriguing discovery using the James Webb Space Telescope. They identified moving clouds on a planet located outside the Solar System, 40 light years away. Could they be signs of a new Earth?
The discovery was announced by the scientists and confirmed the presence of an atmosphere with water vapour, methane, silicon, carbon dioxide and monoxide, sodium and potassiumon planet VHS1256b. This is the largest amount of gases identified in an extrasolar planet so far, and shows the NASA's space observatory's ability to search for planets capable of harboring life beyond Earth.
see more
MCTI announces the opening of 814 vacancies for the next portfolio contest
The end of it all: scientists confirm date of when sun will explode and…
Even though VHS1256b is a giant with temperatures in excess of 800°C, the planet is still an interesting case study for researchers. Led by Brittany Miles of the University of Arizona, scientists identified the clouds in movement on the planet by breaking down the light emitted by it and monitoring the brightness oscillations of its surface. This analysis revealed that its atmosphere circulates on a 22-hour cycle.
Although it was not possible to obtain a clear image of the planet, the scientists managed to detail it. unprecedented in the investigation of the atmosphere of a star outside the Solar System by decomposing the frequencies of light captured. In an artist-concepted image produced by the scientists to illustrate the likely appearance of VHS1256b, the planet appears with storms and convolutions similar to those seen on Jupiter.
VHS1256b is very different from Earth. It is a giant that is a great distance from its orbital center, orbiting a cluster of binary stars instead of just one. Furthermore, the planet is young in cosmic terms, with only 150 million years of formation, while Earth is 4.5 billion years old.
The discovery was revealed in a study published in the scientific journal The Astrophysical Journal Letters. The authors explained that the presence of silicate dust in the atmosphere and the wide variation in brightness were the factors that most attracted the attention of scientists. According to them, the planet exhibits an imbalance chemistry caused by vertical and turbulent mixing in its atmosphere.
VHS1256b's isolated position in its star system was also a factor in the search. "VHS1256b is about four times farther from its stars than Pluto is from the Sun, making it an excellent target for Webb," Miles said. "That means the planet's light doesn't mix with the light from its stars."
The scientists' analysis of the observation of the James Webb it's been ready since September of last year, but has now been revealed after going through an independent review. According to Andrew Skemmer, an astrophysicist at the University of California, Santa Cruz, this discovery is still just the "appetizer".
Graduated in Social Communication at the Federal University of Goiás. Passionate about digital media, pop culture, technology, politics and psychoanalysis.
