'110 light-years away': NASA’s James Webb Telescope finds new Saturn-sized alien planet

James Webb telescope finds first-ever unknown alien planet

James Webb spots Saturn-sized exoplanet about 110 light-years from Earth

Considered as a major breakthrough, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has discovered an exoplanet for the first time since its launch in 2021. This is a historic moment in space exploration, as earlier, most of Webb’s previous data has focused on planets already known to astronomers.

The newly discovered planet is a gas giant roughly the size of Saturn. As the report says, it orbits a small star named TWA 7, located about 110 light-years from Earth in the constellation Antlia.

Webb uses direct imaging to spot distant planets

What makes this discovery special is that it was made through direct imaging by JWST, a rare and difficult technique in astronomy. Out of the nearly 5,900 exoplanets discovered since the 1990s, fewer than 2 per cent have been found this way.

Using a special coronagraph built in France and attached to Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), scientists were able to block out the star’s bright light and clearly image the planet. The planet is about 52 times farther from its star than Earth is from the Sun. In comparison, Neptune is about 30 times farther from the Sun than Earth is from the Sun.

According to lead researcher Anne-Marie Lagrange from CNRS and the Paris Observatory, “this can open a new window into exoplanets that were previously beyond our reach. This helps us understand how planetary systems form and evolve.”

A young system with new clues for planet formation

Both the planet and its star are very young, around six million years old only. By comparison, our solar system is about 4.5 billion years old. Because the planetary system is being viewed from above, Webb could observe its structure.

The planet is located within a narrow ring inside a broader disk made of rocky and dusty material. Few Scientists believe this disk could eventually form more planets.

Researchers do not yet know the exact atmosphere of the new planet. Future Webb observations may provide more answers.

Although this gas giant is far too massive and distant to host life like Earth, the discovery is an important step in understanding other solar systems.