A gas planet known as the Popcorn Planet for its atmosphere has become the subject of a new discovery by the James Webb Space Telescope.
According to RCO News Agency, Thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope, new discoveries have been made about the planet WASP-107b. This gas giant, famous for its extremely low density and puffy atmosphere, has provided scientists with unexpected details through advanced atmospheric observations.
According to Space News, The gas planet WASP-107b, which is about the size of Jupiter but has only one-tenth its mass, has fascinated astronomers for years. New observations with the James Webb Space Telescope have revealed a surprising east-west asymmetry in the planet’s atmosphere. This discovery is an important step forward in understanding exoplanetary dynamics.
Arizona State University researcher Luis Welbanks said: “Our previous findings have shown that WASP-107b is extraordinarily puffed up, appearing like the kernel of a roasted corn under its own heat.” With the James Webb Space Telescope, we’re getting a clearer picture of what’s going on in its atmosphere in 3D, and it turns out there’s even more to talk about.
This new study, conducted by Matthew Murphy of the University of Arizona’s Steward Observatory, examines studies conducted in 2024 in which scientists failed to detect a warmer-than-expected interior and A larger core had been announced. This new phase of research reveals an asymmetry between the two sides of WASP-107b, possibly related to different cloud shapes or heat transfer variations.
“Michael Line” (Michael Line), an associate professor at Arizona State University, stated: The source of this asymmetry is interesting. Although our preliminary analysis suggests that the asymmetry may be due to one planet being cloudier than the other, it could also be related to how heat is transported through the planet’s atmosphere. It’s as if one side of WASP-107b heats up faster than the other.
Tidally bound to its star, WASP-107b experiences perpetual daylight on one side and perpetual darkness on the other. These conditions, combined with the planet’s low gravity and puffy nature, make it a prime target for atmospheric studies. The researchers used transmission spectroscopy to analyze the starlight that passes through the planet’s atmosphere, allowing them to separate the signals from the eastern and western edges in unprecedented detail.
“The high precision of James Webb’s equipment is like having a magnifying glass to see the planets,” Wellbanks said. We can now see specific processes occurring on each side of WASP-107b’s atmosphere, providing us with valuable information about how the climate behaves in this harsh atmosphere.
With an atmospheric temperature of nearly 477 degrees Celsius, WASP-107b ranks among the coolest planets in the Solar System and the hottest known exoplanets, making it a key target for studying the atmospheric behavior of various types of exoplanets.
“Our traditional observation methods don’t work well for these planets,” Murphy said. Therefore, there are many unanswered questions that we can finally answer. For example, some computer models have shown that a planet like WASP-107b should not have this asymmetry at all. So, we are learning something new.
The research group plans to conduct further studies to uncover the cause of this atmospheric asymmetry and deepen their understanding of how exoplanets like WASP-107b maintain their unique structures and climates.
This research was published in “Nature Astronomy” magazine.
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