A study released yesterday, Monday, said that the James Webb Space Telescope, in a process being conducted for the first time, was able to measure the temperature of a rocky planet located 40 light years from our solar system.
The TRAPPIST-1 system, which was discovered in 2017, includes 7 planets orbiting an ultra-cool red dwarf star that emits twice as much heat as the Sun.
This planetary system is a major target of the James Webb Telescope, which was developed by NASA and put into service in July 2022. One of the telescope’s missions is to explore the atmospheres of potentially habitable exoplanets.
And “NASA” stated in a statement that “TRAPPIST-1 is an excellent planet for testing,” as it is close to the solar system, and it includes only rocky planets similar in size and mass to Earth.
However, knowing the characteristics of these planets is a difficult issue because it is not possible to observe the outer planets from a great distance, in contrast to the stars that revolve around them. To observe it, astronomers resort to a method that captures the differences in the brightness of the planet caused by its passage in front of its host star, similar to what happens in a small eclipse.
James Webb’s Miriam imager, which is capable of operating in the mid-infrared wavelength, was able to capture what is called a secondary eclipse when the planet passes behind its star. In this case, the planet is “TRAPPIST-1b” closest to the star “TRAPPIST-1”, which is easy to study; Because it crosses a lot behind the star.
Elsa Ducros, astrophysicist at the Commission for Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies, who co-authored the study published in the journal Nature, explains that “the planet’s greatest brightness occurs moments before it disappears behind the star, because it shows its day side almost exclusively.”
By comparing the amount of light observed before and after the planet disappeared behind its star, scientists concluded the amount of light emitted by the planet, which can only be detected in the mid-infrared wavelength, which is a wavelength that astronomers have not explored until today and would detect the planet’s thermal emission.
NASA, whose astronomer, Thomas Green, prepared the study, commented that James Webb acts as a “giant non-contact thermometer.”
Measuring the temperature of TRAPPIST 1b is the first such procedure for a rocky exoplanet. The temperature on the daytime side of the planet was about 230 degrees Celsius, an indication that heat is not redistributed throughout the planet, a role usually played by the atmosphere,” according to the Commission for Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies, which designed the Merim device.
The conclusion, Ducron says, is that Trappist-1b “has little or no atmosphere,” stressing the need to search in other wavelengths to reach a final result. She added, “What is certain is that the atmosphere, even if it is present in the planet, lacks carbon dioxide.”
James Webb’s discovery carries details of the failure of a previous telescope, “Spitzer”, to reach them, “despite observing 28 secondary eclipses of Trappist 1b +”. “James Webb deduced these details by observing a single eclipse!” the scientist says.
She noted that “James Webb”, through his study of the possibility of an atmosphere in a rocky planet, launches a “new phase” in the study of exoplanets.
Trappist 1b is located too close to its star to be able to house life forms as we know it, and its monitoring may provide important information about other planets, according to NASA.
Among these planets are “TRAPPIST-1E”, “TRAPPIST-1F” and “TRAPPIST-1G”, which are located in a habitable zone, which is an area characterized by the fact that it is not very hot or cold, which allows the formation of liquid water in it, which is a prerequisite for life outside life. Planet Earth.