ESA/Hubble/Webb weic2309: Webb measures the temperature of a rocky exoplanet. An international team of researchers has used the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to measure the temperature of the rocky exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 b. The measurement is based on the planet’s thermal emission: heat energy given off in the form of …

ESA/Hubble/Webb News
27 March 2023

An international team of researchers has used the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to measure the temperature of the rocky exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 b. The measurement is based on the planet’s thermal emission: heat energy given off in the form of infrared light detected by Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). The result indicates that the planet’s dayside has a temperature of about 500 kelvins (roughly 230°C), and suggests that it has no significant atmosphere. This is the first detection of any form of light emitted by an exoplanet as small and as cool as the rocky planets in our own solar system. The result marks an important step in determining whether planets orbiting small active stars like TRAPPIST-1 can sustain atmospheres needed to support life. It also bodes well for Webb’s ability to characterise temperate, Earth-sized exoplanets using MIRI.

The release, images and videos are available on:
https://esawebb.org/news/weic2309/

Kind regards,
ESA/Hubble/Webb Information Centre
27 March 2023

 
         
Seeing Triple  A Spiral Amongst Thousands  A Wreath of Star Formation in NGC 7469  Galactic Get-Together  Webb Explores a Pair of Merging Galaxies 

Follow us on:

ESA/Hubble

ESA/Webb

ESA/Hubble/Webb, ESA Office, Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Dr, D-21218 Baltimore, United States