NEW: An exoplanet atmosphere, as never seen before. 🪐 The Webb telescope has revisited gas giant WASP-39 b to give us the first molecular and chemical profile of an exoplanet’s atmosphere, revealing the presence of water, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, sodium and potassium, as well as signs of clouds. This builds on Webb’s initial look at the planet back in August, which showed the first clear evidence of carbon dioxide in a planet outside our solar system. The latest findings bode well for Webb’s capability to investigate all types of exoplanets, including the atmospheres of smaller, rocky planets like those in the TRAPPIST-1 system. We learn about exoplanet atmospheres by breaking their light into components and creating spectra. Think of a spectrum as a barcode. Elements and molecules have characteristic signatures in that “barcode” we can read. This planet is what is known as a “hot Saturn” — a planet about as massive as Saturn but in this case, eight times closer in orbit around its star than Mercury is around the Sun. The data shown here is taken from 3 of Webb’s science instruments. Together, they mark a series of firsts in science, including the first detection of sulfur dioxide in an exoplanet atmosphere. This, in turn, is the first concrete evidence of photochemistry — chemical reactions initiated by high-energy light, which are fundamental to life on Earth — on an exoplanet. Understanding the ratio of different elements in relation to each other also offers clues as to how the planet was formed. Want to see the data in more detail and learn more? Head to the link in our bio. #JWST #JamesWebbSpaceTelescope #Exoplanet #Atmosphere #Spectra #Data #NASA #Space #Science