James Webb Space Telescope Feed Post

ARTIST ILLUSTRATION: Webb Maps and Finds Traces of Water in an Ultra-hot Gas Giant's Atmosphere

Note: This is an artist illustration hot exoplanet summer! ?? Webb analyzed the atmosphere of an ultrahot gas giant and mapped its temperatures. Despite scorching heat (nearly 5000 F or 2700 C), WASP-18 b has small amounts of atmospheric water — precisely measured due to Webb's sensitivity. WASP-18b zips around its star so fast that its year is only 23 hours long. It is also tidally locked, meaning one side of it always faces its star. Learn more: exoplanets.nasa.gov/news/1760/discovery-alert-webb-maps-a... This image: WASP-18 b, seen in an artist concept, is a gas giant exoplanet 10 times more massive than Jupiter that orbits its star in just 23 hours. Researchers used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to study the planet as it moved behind its star. Temperatures there reach 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,700 C). Artist Illustration Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech (K. Miller/IPAC) Image description: An illustration shows a yellow-orange exoplanet in a three-quarter view against the star-smattered black of space. The planet's gaseous atmosphere fades from a very bright dayside to a much dimmer nightside and there are subtle bands going north-south. It is at its brightest to the right of center. Image & Description by NASA