LOS ANGELES, Aug. 25, 2022 (Xinhua) — NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has collected the first clear evidence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of an exoplanet, NASA said Thursday.
NASA said the discovery of a gas giant planet orbiting a sun-like star 700 light-years away provides important insights into the formation and formation of the planet.
The discovery provides evidence that the Webb telescope in the future may be able to detect and measure carbon dioxide in the thin atmosphere of small, rocky planets, according to NASA.
Previous studies by the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes have detected water vapor, potassium and sodium in the atmosphere of an exoplanet.
NASA said Webb’s unparalleled sensitivity to infrared has now confirmed the presence of carbon dioxide on the planet as well.