200 light years from Earth, water vapor detected on an exoplanet
Photo credit: Artistic vision of WASP-107b and its “cotton candy” appearance
Klaas Verpoest, Johan Van Looveren, Leen DecinStudying the latest images from NASA's James Webb telescope makes it possible to observe the presence of water vapor, sulfur dioxide and sand clouds in the atmosphere of a neighboring exoplanet.
The James Webb Space Telescope doesn't just show us new stars and galaxies. The power of its sensors also allows it to reveal never-before-seen details of already known celestial objects. The latest example is one of the most striking since it observed sand rains on an exoplanet, Wasp-107b.
Behind this code name hides an exoplanet which is 200 light years from Earth, more precisely in the constellation Virgo. Nicknamed “cotton candy” by astronomers for its substantial volume which contrasts with its lightness, this planet similar to Neptune is the target of clouds and rains of silica sand, but also of extreme temperatures, violent winds… All in an environment where we can sense the smell of sulfur dioxide.
Water vapor and sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere
Discovered in 2017, Wasp-107b is about the size of Jupiter, and it appears in a new light thanks to images by James Webb. “It revolutionizes the characterization of exoplanets, providing unprecedented information at remarkable speed,” says lead author Professor Leen Decin of the Catholic University of Louvain. “The discovery of clouds of sand, water and sulfur dioxide on this fluffy exoplanet by the James Webb Telescope’s MIRI instrument is a pivotal milestone. It reshapes our understanding of planet formation and evolution, shedding new light on our own solar system. »
The mid-infrared instrument (MIRI) on board the telescope reveals evidence of water. clouds of steam, sulfur dioxide and silicate (sand) in the planet's atmosphere
@Michiel Min / European MIRI EXO GTO team / ESA / NASAThe latest observations of the transmission spectrum make it possible to deduce the atmospheric composition of WASP-107b, and we can indeed distinguish the presence of water vapor and sulfur dioxide, which would give the atmosphere this smell of burnt matches, so characteristic of the presence of sulfur. It is also the first time that the chemical composition of clouds on another planet has been identified. Thus, the sand would go from the solid state to the gaseous state in an atmosphere where temperatures are around 1,000°. Then, the silica vapor rises, cools and forms microscopic grains of sand, invisible to the naked eye. These clouds of sand dust become so dense that they fall as rain.
A hostile environment
It is a permanent cycle, and the first lesson to be learned is that given the conditions, Wasp-107b cannot be the theater of life. At least as we define it on Earth. “She is absolutely hostile,” says Leen Decin. “But the universe holds so many surprises that I think there could be many ways to create life on another planet. It could be very different from what we know here on Earth. We need to expand our imagination.”
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