Inbox Astronomy: Webb Rules Out Thick Carbon Dioxide Atmosphere for Rocky Exoplanet

INBOX ASTRONOMY

Webb Rules Out Thick Carbon Dioxide Atmosphere for Rocky Exoplanet

Release date: Monday, June 19, 2023 11:00:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Infrared measurements of TRAPPIST-1 c indicate that it is probably not as Venus-like as once imagined.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has successfully measured the heat radiating from TRAPPIST-1 c, an exoplanet orbiting a red dwarf star 40 light-years from Earth. With a dayside temperature of about 225 degrees Fahrenheit, it is the coolest rocky planet ever characterized using this method.

Unfortunately for those hoping that the TRAPPIST-1 system is a true analog to our own, the results are a bit disappointing. While TRAPPIST-1 c is roughly the same size and mass as Venus and receives the same amount of radiation from its star, it appears unlikely to have the same thick carbon dioxide atmosphere. This indicates that the planet, and perhaps the system as a whole, may have formed with very little water. The result is the latest in the quest to determine whether planetary atmospheres can survive the violent environs of a red dwarf star.

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Find additional articles, images, and videos at WebbTelescope.org

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