Signs of carbon dioxide detected for first time in atmosphere of exoplanet outside solar system
WASP-39 b
The signs of carbon dioxide have been detected in the atmosphere of a planet outside our solar system for the first time by the James Webb Space Telescope.
The successful discovery of CO2 gives researchers hope that similar observations could be carried out on rocky objects more hospitable to life although the exoplanet would never be able to support life as we know it.
According to the US space agency NASA, the detection of CO2 will also help scientists learn more about how WASP-39 formed.
WASP-39, which has a mass one-quarter that of Jupiter but a diameter 1.3 times bigger, orbits a star 700 light years away from the Earth.
In pics: NASA's gigantic SLS moon rocket, a 'practice' for future Mars mission
Natalie Batalha, a professor at the University of California at Santa Cruz and one of the hundreds who worked on the Webb project, believes that the frequency of its orbit and large atmosphere made WASP-39 an ideal candidate for an early test of NIRSpec, Webb's state-of-the-art infrared sensor.
)
The Early Spring is proof not everyone can talk about their real feelings, and it is perfectly OK
)
UN votes to ‘correct the map’ as India backs fairer world view
)
Nigerian Navy discovers 99,000 litres of suspected stolen, illegally refined products as it intensifies anti-crude oil theft operations
)
Who is Aditi Paudel? 17-year-old becomes Japan's first literacy ambassador
)
Bengaluru: Officials find 40 kg expired chilli at chairman's club
)
Jaishankar rejects trade link to ending Ukraine war
)
Israeli strikes on Lebanon kill three, injure 23 despite truce
)
Alpine glacier was covered with sheep wool sheets to prevent melting. It worked
)
South Korea mulls deploying military assets to Strait of Hormuz
)
World's fifth-largest economy, British army can't afford to train
)
Breaking | Vance takes the podium: First White House briefing since Leavitt's exit
)
Taiwan raises 'concerns' over China's missile test
)
BRICS 2026: $1 trillion sovereign capital set to converge in Delhi for first iBRICS Summit
)
What is Iran's Pickaxe Mountain that Trump has again threatened to bomb?
)
UN votes to correct world map that visually shrank Africa for 450 years
)
Former NewJeans member Danielle launches YouTube channel, hints at new solo journey
)
Bangladesh batter Towhid Hridoy creates history with 350 not out in South Africa
)
Brendan Fraser’s transformation fuels The Mummy 4 excitement as fans welcome back Rick O’Connell
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Krishna Janmashtami 2026: From Dhaniya Panjiri to Makhana Kheer- 5 best sweet dishes perfect for celebrating Lord Krishna’s birth
)
Donald Trump plans to travel to Ireland on Qatari-donated jet amid security concerns
)
Nazi-looted art to return to Jewish heirs
)
Eight killed in Kerala’s Thrissur after car rams into lorry parked on highway
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why Russian fighter jets use bulky, low-pressure tyres compared to US jets
)
FBI-wanted fraud accused arrested in Jalandhar over $600,000 scam
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why US tanks weigh over 20 tons more than Russian tanks
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New Friday OTT releases (September 4, 2026): GDN, Dhamaal 4, Jagamae Sangeetham- Watch 6 new movies and TV shows on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Killing the Himalayas slowly: Human urine is melting a glacier on Mount Everest
News agency AFP quoted Pierre-Olivier Lagage, an astrophysicist with France's Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), as saying "For me, it opens a door for future research on super-Earths (planets larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune), or even Earth-sized planets."
Blocking out an almost imperceptible amount of light, the exoplanet orbits its star once every four Earth days.
In previous discoveries, Hubble and Spitzer's telescopes had already detected water vapour, sodium and potassium in WASP-39's atmosphere.
(With inputs from agencies)
Watch WION's live TV here: