Published on: 02/09/2022 – 19:00 Modified: 02/09/2022 – 18:58
Washington (AFP) – The James Webb Space Telescope has taken its first image of an exoplanet, a planet outside our solar system, as astronomers hailed the device’s performance since its launch last year.
Images from the most powerful space telescope ever built have thrilled observers in recent months as it orbits the Sun a million miles (1.6 million kilometers) from Earth.
Their latest pioneering images show that the exoplanet, named HIP 65426 b, is a gas giant with no rocky surface and could not be habitable.
“This is a transformative moment, not just for Webb, but for astronomy in general,” said Sasha Hinkley, professor of astronomy at the University of Exeter, who led the observing team.
Webb’s infrared gaze and coronagraphs, telescopic attachments that block starlight, allow it to take direct images of exoplanets.
“It was really impressive how the Webb coronagraphs worked to suppress the light from the host star,” Hinkley said in a NASA statement Thursday.
The exoplanet HIP 65426 b is six to 12 times the mass of Jupiter and young, about 15 to 20 million years old, compared to Earth’s 4.5 billion years.
The telescope, which only released its first images in July, has already revealed dazzling new details of the ghost galaxy and the planet Jupiter.
The Hubble Space Telescope previously captured direct images of exoplanets, but in much less detail.
“I think the most exciting thing is that we’re just getting started,” said Aarynn Carter of the University of California. “We may even discover previously unknown planets.”
The $10 billion Webb Telescope is a collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. It is expected to operate for about 20 years.
© 2022 AFP