WASP-96 b: A Planet with Sodium-Rich Atmosphere
Images source: NASA, Representative images
Images source: NASA, Representative images
An international team at NASA found that WASP-96 b is a world with a sodium-rich atmosphere. The planet is located nearly 1,150 light-years from Earth and orbits its star every 3.4 days. It is located in the southern-sky constellation Phoenix.
WASP-96 b is about half the mass of Jupiter. According to NASA, WASP-96 b is much puffier than any planet orbiting our Sun.
WASP-96 b's discovery was announced in 2014. Eight years later, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) captured the distinct signature of water, along with evidence of clouds and haze, in the atmosphere of the planet.
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