Results for: 55 Cancri e

In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have detected the first evidence of an atmosphere around the ultra-hot exoplanet 55 Cancri e. Initially believed to be too hot and close to its star to support an atmosphere, new data from JWST has revealed otherwise. By analyzing the planet’s thermal emissions and chemical composition, scientists have uncovered the presence of a carbon-rich ‘secondary atmosphere’ that is replenished by the planet’s interior.

The James Webb Space Telescope has provided groundbreaking information about exoplanet 55 Cancri e, including the discovery of a possible rocky planet atmosphere outside our solar system. Despite the planet’s inhospitable conditions, including a surface that is likely a bubbling ocean of magma, astronomers have long speculated about the potential for an atmosphere. Utilizing Webb’s NIRCam and MIRI instruments, researchers detected indications of a volatile-rich atmosphere containing carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide. They also observed that the planet’s dayside is cooler than expected, suggesting heat transfer to the cooler nightside, possibly through an atmosphere. The researchers theorize that the atmosphere may have formed from gases originating within the planet due to extreme temperatures potentially stripping away gases present during its formation.

Astronomers have detected a thick atmosphere around a rocky exoplanet known as 55 Cancri e, which is twice the size of Earth. The exoplanet, located 41 light-years away, is wrapped in a blanket of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. The discovery, published in the journal Nature, suggests that other similar exoplanets with thick atmospheres could potentially support life.