JWST Reveals WASP-39b Has Cloudy Mornings and Clear Evenings, Solving Longstanding Exoplanet Mystery
By
Javier Barbuzano
Summary
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have developed a novel observation technique to study the exoplanet WASP-39b, a hot Jupiter located 700 light-years away. By observing the planet at different orbital phases (morning, evening, and noon), they discovered that the planet has cloudy mornings and clear evenings. This asymmetry explains why previous observations over the past 20 years produced inconsistent data about the planet's chemical composition. The study reveals that the planet's terminator (the boundary between day and night) has different conditions on each side, with the morning side being cooler and cloudier while the evening side is hotter and clearer. This breakthrough helps clarify more than a decade of blurry data about exoplanet atmospheres and demonstrates a new method for studying distant worlds.
Source
bskyJWST Reveals WASP-39b Has Cloudy Mornings and Clear Evenings, Solving Longstanding Exoplanet Mysteryeos.orgKey quotes
· 3 pulledClear skies are important for astronomers—not just here on Earth but also on the alien planets they are looking at.
For the past 20 years, scientists studying exoplanets have been literally blinded by fog.
This overcast condition acts like a fogged-up window, blocking telescopes from getting a clear reading of the planets' true composition.
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