James Webb Telescope finds atmosphere on rocky exoplanet for the first time

Researchers from NASA (United States Space Agency) detected that the exoplanet (planet located outside the Solar System) 55 Cancri and, located 41 light years from Earth, may have atmospheric gases in its surroundings. To date, this is the best evidence for an atmosphere in a rocky planet outside our Solar System.

Using the James Webb telescope, it was possible to detect that the exoplanet is colder than previously imagined, with a temperature of approximately 1,540 degrees Celsius. This discovery allows us to conclude that, contrary to what was thought, its surface is not composed solely of lava, allowing the formation of an atmosphere with gases.

55 Cancri e was discovered in 2011 and is one of five known exoplanets orbiting a star that looks like the Sun, the 55 Cancri. Located in the constellation of Cancer, it is twice the diameter of our planet, being classified as a super-Earth, as it is larger than Earth and smaller than Neptune.

Previous studies carried out on the planet created hypotheses that its atmosphere was composed of oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide. However, they were unable to prove whether the exoplanet was empty inside, being formed only by the surface of vaporized rock. The new discoveries made through data obtained by the James Webb telescope proved through the composition of its atmosphere that it has a rocky layer.

Arimentoaron Bello-Arufe, co-author of the research at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), said: “This suggests the presence of an atmosphere containing carbon monoxide or dioxide, which absorbs these wavelengths of light. [infravermelha].” A planet without an atmosphere or one made up solely of vaporized rock would not have this specific spectral characteristic.

Although it is too hot to be inhabited, studies on 55 Cancri e can help relate atmospheres, surfaces and interiors of rocky planets. Furthermore, they can provide information about the initial conditions of Earth, Venus and Mars, which are thought to have been covered by magma oceans in the distant past.