The Webb Telescope's first confirmed exoplanet is 99 percent the diameter of Earth - Engadget

Having already returned visually stunning and scientifically spectacular results from its archetypal six months successful operation, the James Webb Space Telescope has recorded different inaugural milestone: its archetypal exoplanet find confirmation. It peered 41 airy years into the cosmos and recovered a satellite successful the Octans constellation with a diameter 99 percent that of Earth itself — accidental hullo to LHS 475 b.

Specifically a squad of astronomers from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, led by Kevin Stevenson and Jacob Lustig-Yaeger, archetypal spotted grounds of the campaigner exoplanet portion digging done information generated from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). However it was Webb’s Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) that confirmed the planets beingness by observing 2 transits successful beforehand of its genitor star. “There is nary question that the satellite is there. Webb’s pristine information validate it,” Lustig-Yaeger declared successful a NASA property release. 

As the abstraction bureau notes, among telescopes successful cognition contiguous (both terrestrial and orbital), lone the JWST possesses the resolving capabilities to accurately qualify the atmospheres of Earth-sized exoplanets. The probe squad is inactive moving to find what, if any, benignant of ambiance is sitting atop the rocky wide utilizing by analyzing its transmission spectrum. 

There is simply a accidental that the satellite volition beryllium devoid of its captious gaseous insulation but astatine these distances, it could simply beryllium hiding a precise tiny atmo adjacent to the surface. "Counterintuitively, a 100% c dioxide ambiance is truthful overmuch much compact that it becomes precise challenging to detect,” said Lustig-Yaeger. 

They are assured that it does not person an oppressive ambiance akin to that of Saturn’s satellite Titan, however. “There are immoderate terrestrial-type atmospheres that we tin regularisation out,” helium said. “It can’t person a heavy methane-dominated atmosphere.” 

That said, the aboveground of the satellite does look to beryllium astir 300 Celsius, respective 100 degrees warmer than present connected Earth. If unreality screen is discovered successful consequent studies, it could suggest a greenhouse satellite clime person to Venus. The researchers person besides confirmed that LHS 475 b maintains a tidal-locked orbit with its prima of conscionable 2 days — acold excessively adjacent to effort with Sol but, due to the fact that LHS circles a reddish dwarf that's producing little than fractional of our sun's energy, tin theoretically support an atmosphere.