An exoplanet, or planet outside our solar system, is a gas giant with a mass about six to 12 times that of Jupiter. The planet, called HIP 65426 b, is about 15 to 20 million years old – just a small planet compared to Earth’s 4.5 billion years old.
It is located 385 light years from Earth.
The planet can be seen in four different bands of infrared light as captured by the various Webb instruments. Webb sees the universe in infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye – and makes it the perfect space observatory for revealing details about distant worlds.
“This is a transformative moment, not only for Webb but also for astronomy in general,” Sasha Hinckley, associate professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Exeter in the UK, said in a statement.
Hinckley led the notes in an international collaboration.
An exoplanet was first discovered in 2017 using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope and the SPHERE instrument located in Chile. The instrument captured images of the planet in short infrared wavelengths, but Webb’s ability to see longer infrared wavelengths could shed light on new details.
Scientists are analyzing Webb’s data for HIP 65426 b and an upcoming study will be submitted to journals for peer review.
An exoplanet is about 100 times farther from its host star than Earth is from the sun, which allowed Webb and his instruments to separate the planet from its star. Some Webb’s instruments are armed with vertices or masks that can block out starlight, enabling the telescope to take direct images of exoplanets.
Stars are brighter than planets, and in this case, HIP 65426 b is more than 10,000 times fainter than its host star in near-infrared light.
“Getting this image was like a treasure hunt in space,” said Erin Carter, head of image analysis and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Santa Cruz, in a statement. “Initially, all I could see was the light coming from the star, but through careful image processing, I was able to remove that light and discover the planet.”
And the space observatory only began making scientific observations this summer.
“I think the most exciting thing is that we’re just getting started,” Carter said. “There are more images of upcoming exoplanets that will shape our general understanding of physics, chemistry and morphology. We may discover previously unknown planets as well.”
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