James Webb Space Telescope Feed Post

NASA's Webb Images Cold Exoplanet 12 Light-Years Away

NEW: Webb has snapped a shot of the coldest, most Jupiter-like exoplanet to be imaged so far. The planet, called Epsilon Indi Ab, lies about 12 light-years away from Earth. To make the discovery, Webb blocked out starlight (shown by the star symbol) with a mask called a coronagraph. Previously, directly imaged exoplanets were often the youngest, hottest worlds. As planets cool, they become significantly fainter and more difficult to image. Most of their emission is in mid-infrared light. Luckily, Webb is ideally suited to conduct mid-infrared imaging. With an estimated temperature of 35 degrees F (2 degrees C), Epsilon Indi Ab is just a bit warmer than the gas giants in our own solar system. With its unique properties, this intriguing world is giving astronomers a rare opportunity to study a true solar system analog. Read more: go.nasa.gov/3SlpaKG Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Elisabeth Matthews (MPIA) Image description: This image shows the exoplanet Epsilon Indi Ab. The image is mostly black, with blue scale-like features apparent in the central region of the image. At the center of the image, there is a black circle, and in the center, a symbol representing a star. This black circle blocks the light from the host star. To the lower left of the circle is a fuzzy bright orange circle, which is the exoplanet. Image & Description by NASA