Credit: Science: David Sing (JHU), NIRSpec GTO Transiting Exoplanet Team; Illustration: NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI)

This transmission spectrum, captured using Webb’s NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph), shows the amounts of different wavelengths (colors) of near-infrared starlight blocked by the atmosphere of the gas-giant exoplanet WASP-107 b.

The spectrum was made by observing the planet-star system for about 8.5 hours before, during, and after the transit as the planet moved across the face of the star.

By comparing the brightness of light filtered through the planet’s atmosphere (transmitted light) to unfiltered starlight, it is possible to calculate the amount of each wavelength that is blocked by the atmosphere. Since each molecule absorbs a unique combination of wavelengths, the transmission spectrum can be used to constrain the abundance of various gases.

This spectrum shows clear evidence for water (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH4), and sulfur dioxide (SO2) in the planet’s atmosphere, allowing researchers to estimate the interior temperature and mass of the core.

Provider: Space Telescope Science Institute

Image Source: https://webbtelescope.org/contents/news-releases/2024/news-2024-113

Curator: STScI, Baltimore, MD, USA

Image Use Policy: http://stsci.edu/copyright/