James Webb: What’s on exoplanet WASP-96 b?

One of the biggest news James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) are you able to find exoplanets livable. This is because he carries special equipment on board called NIRISS that can read the chemical signature of remote locations.

And already in its debut, the telescope gave an example of its power. Among the first readings released this week by NASA, WASP-96bA planet located only a thousand light-years from Earth.

Below, understand how NIRISS works and what published data can reveal about the universe.

Near infrared imager and slitless spectrograph (NIRISS)

One of the biggest innovations at James Webb is the equipment known by the acronym NIRISS. Its full name is Near Infrared Imaging Generator and Riftless Spectrograph.

This long name looks like something straight out of a science fiction movie at first glance. However, a closer look reveals the function of this two-part equipment.

One of them is the Near Infrared Image Generator, which can capture light emitted from different space objects in this electromagnetic radiation range – it operates in the Webb wavelengths from 0.8 to 5.0 microns.

The other is the Riftless Spectrograph. This equipment takes the captured light using mirrors and splits it into different frequencies that make it up.

With this data, astronomers can predict the composition of the observed object, such as a planet or a star. This is because each substance absorbs and emits a certain type of light that works as a kind of chemical fingerprint.

This is great news for James Webb, as its predecessor, the Hubble telescope, did not have similar equipment on board.

What is planet WASP-96 b?

James Webb’s operators telescope to launch equipment exoplanet WASP-96b. He is one of the more than 5,000 we know of in the Milky Way and is located 1,150 light-years from us.

Located in the Phoenix constellation, this is a different type of gas giant than those in our solar system. First, it is less intense. Its size is 1.2 times that of Jupiter, but about half its mass.

Also, it’s very hot. It is very close to its star, called WASP-96, with an average temperature of close to 500 degrees Celsius. Its orbit is so small that it has about 3.5 Earth days in a full year.

What does the image of James Webb reveal?

While most of the images released by NASA show photos of different parts of space, WASP-96 is the only one to offer a graphic of b.

Despite all the technology built into the telescope, all we can get exoplanets distant places like this are clues to its existence. In this case, the trail is a small amount of light (1.5%) that the planet blocks as it passes in front of its star.

With this little evidence, the researchers analyzed the composition of the atmosphere. First, that’s why the graph shows the amount of light blocked on its vertical axis (Amount of Light Blocked).

Sunlight emits all kinds of radiation: infrared, ultraviolet, microwaves – it’s all there. After reaching the planet, chemicals in its atmosphere absorb certain characteristic wavelengths, called chemical signatures, and let the rest pass.

Therefore, look for patterns corresponding to the compounds of interest in the graphs. This is how researchers discovered water on the surface. WASP-96b. In the published graph, the characteristic wavelengths of this molecule are highlighted, and they all have a very large occlusion of sunlight.

The graphics are also impressive in terms of the accuracy of the data obtained. Astronomers are excited about the telescope’s resolving power and believe it will make it possible to discover more. exoplanets unknown until then.

Despite the water in the atmosphere, WASP-96b It’s not habitable because its orbit is so close to its star—the heat would wipe out all life as we know it. But with a powerful tool like NIRISS at James Webb, we look forward to unraveling the mysteries that await us in the universe.