📢 #Webb reveals steamy atmosphere ♨️ of exoplanet WASP-96 b, capturing the distinct signature of water 💧 along with evidence for clouds and haze. This are the most detailed measurements of starlight filtering through the atmosphere of a planet outside our solar system to date. Read more at the link in bio or below 👇 WASP-96 b is a hot, puffy gas giant planet orbiting a distant Sun-like star. On 21 June, Webb’s Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph #NIRISS measured light from the WASP-96 system for 6.4 hours as the planet moved across the star. The result is a light curve — showing the overall dimming of starlight during the transit, when the planet blocks some of that starlight — and a transmission spectrum. A transmission spectrum is made by comparing starlight filtered through a planet’s atmosphere as it moves across the star to the unfiltered starlight detected when the planet is beside the star. The light curve confirms properties of the planet that had already been determined from other observations – the existence, size, and orbit of the planet. The transmission spectrum on the other hand reveals previously hidden details of the atmosphere: the unambiguous signature of water, indications of haze, and evidence of clouds that were thought not to exist based on prior observations. The extraordinarily detailed spectrum provides just a hint of what Webb has in store for exoplanet research. Over the coming year, researchers will use spectroscopy to analyse the surfaces and atmospheres of several dozen exoplanets, from small rocky planets to gas- and ice-rich giants. View higher resolution images and read more at the link in bio. 📷 @nasa @europeanspaceagency @canadianspaceagency STScI, and the Webb ERO Production Team #NASA #ESA #CSA #Webb #Space #Telescope #ESAWebb #neverstopexploring #instaspace #WebbSeesFarther #EuropeMeetsWebb