Exoplanet WASP-43 b: New details thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope

Yesterday we wrote about the new image of the Horsehead Nebula (located in the Orion constellation) taken by… James Webb Space Telescope. This is a particularly nice image too from an aesthetic standpoint, which allows them to do that as well as provide data for researchers “Let your mind fly” Even people who are not interested in astronomy. But as it is written JWST It serves primarily to present data to scientists, as in the case of characterizationesopianeta WASP-43 b.

This distant planet 280 light years From Earth in the constellation Hexapod, it is characterized by a special climate due to its rotation around the star and its rotation around its axis. It is not an exoplanet similar to our planet, but rather a hot Jupiter that has a permanently lit side (average temperature 1250 °C) and a cooler night side (600 °C) due to Tidal lock (The rotation and orbital period are the same.) Its composition will be mainly hydrogen and helium and it will be only 0.014 AU from the star (smaller and cooler than the Sun). Again, according to the results, the orbit will be completed in just 19.5 hours.

I James Webb Space Telescope I tried to draw a climate map Wasp-43b To try to detect the temperature and composition of the atmosphere, in addition to its other characteristics. In particular, scientists expected to find Methane On the night side, the spectra did not detect any of them.

The motive is unclear but there is a hypothesis. One possibility is that I am Wind consisting of hot gas to which he travels Speeds beyond the speed of sound (more than 8000 km/h) coming from the light side mixes the atmosphere ensuring that methane does not form on the night side (through chemical reactions).

Scientists They worked The tool is in Mid infrared (Merry) from James Webb Space Telescope To capture the planet's spectrum at wavelengths from 5 µm to 12 µm using Phase curve spectroscopy. This data was then combined with climate model data from other previous observations (with other telescopes). This also allowed us to hypothesize The presence of dense clouds In the upper atmosphere on the cold side, while the sky is clear on the bright side. However, the clouds will not consist of water, but of mineral dust.