NASA Finds Evidence of Carbon Dioxide in Exoplanet Atmosphere
2022-09-05
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1The newly deployed James Webb Space Telescope has discovered the first clear evidence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of a planet outside our solar system.
2The American space agency NASA confirmed the evidence, which it said was discovered in the atmosphere of a planet orbiting a star about 700 light years from Earth.
3Planets that orbit a star outside our solar system are called exoplanets.
4NASA said the exoplanet where the carbon dioxide was found, or detected, is a hot, gas planet.
5It was discovered in 2011 and is called WASP-39 b.
6The exoplanet - which has a mass about the same as Saturn's - stays around 900 degrees Celsius.
7It remains hot because it orbits very close to its star.
8The space agency said the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes have made observations of WASP-39 b in the past.
9Those observations suggested the presence of water vapor, sodium and potassium in the exoplanet's atmosphere.
10But now, the presence of carbon dioxide has also been confirmed in its atmosphere.
11NASA said the Webb telescope was able to make the discovery because of its unusual technical abilities.
12Researchers recently described the discovery in a paper published online.
13A detailed study about the findings is to appear in an upcoming issue of the publication Nature.
14NASA has described Webb as "the largest and most powerful space science telescope ever built."
15It is a joint partnership between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency.
16Webb is designed to gather more data and explore parts of space that have never been observed before.
17In July, NASA released the first images captured by the Webb telescope.
18The images demonstrated Webb's ability to collect data on distant objects and observe highly detailed elements of galaxies and exoplanets.
19NASA said a sensitive, infrared instrument made it possible for the orbiting observatory to confirm the presence of carbon dioxide in WASP-39 b's atmosphere.
20The instrument is called a Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec).
21NIRSpec is designed to capture radiation in near-infrared wavelengths.
22Using this instrument, astronomers are able to produce a detailed map of some of the chemicals found in a planet's atmosphere, if conditions are right.
23This permits scientists to look for the presence of gasses and other substances.
24Zafar Rustamkulov is a student at Johns Hopkins University and a member of the Webb's Early Release Science team.
25He said in a statement that as soon as he saw the carbon dioxide data, he knew it was a major discovery.
26"It was a special moment, crossing an important threshold in exoplanet sciences."
27Natalie Batalha of the University of California at Santa Cruz helped lead the team.
28She said, "Detecting such a clear signal of carbon dioxide on WASP-39 b bodes well for the detection of atmospheres on smaller, terrestrial-sized planets."
29NASA said such discoveries are important because they help scientists better understand the makeup of a planet's atmosphere.
30This can provide valuable information about how planets formed and developed over time.
31"Carbon dioxide molecules are sensitive tracers of the story of planet formation," said Mike Line of Arizona State University.
32He is another member of the research team. "By measuring this carbon dioxide..., we can determine how much solid versus how much gaseous material was used to form this gas giant planet."
33Line added that in coming years, the Webb telescope is expected to continue making similar discoveries.
34In doing so, scientists can gain "insight into the details of how planets form and the uniqueness of our own solar system."
35I'm Bryan Lynn.
1The newly deployed James Webb Space Telescope has discovered the first clear evidence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of a planet outside our solar system. 2The American space agency NASA confirmed the evidence, which it said was discovered in the atmosphere of a planet orbiting a star about 700 light years from Earth. Planets that orbit a star outside our solar system are called exoplanets. 3NASA said the exoplanet where the carbon dioxide was found, or detected, is a hot, gas planet. It was discovered in 2011 and is called WASP-39 b. The exoplanet - which has a mass about the same as Saturn's - stays around 900 degrees Celsius. It remains hot because it orbits very close to its star. 4The space agency said the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes have made observations of WASP-39 b in the past. Those observations suggested the presence of water vapor, sodium and potassium in the exoplanet's atmosphere. 5But now, the presence of carbon dioxide has also been confirmed in its atmosphere. NASA said the Webb telescope was able to make the discovery because of its unusual technical abilities. 6Researchers recently described the discovery in a paper published online. A detailed study about the findings is to appear in an upcoming issue of the publication Nature. 7NASA has described Webb as "the largest and most powerful space science telescope ever built." It is a joint partnership between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency. 8Webb is designed to gather more data and explore parts of space that have never been observed before. In July, NASA released the first images captured by the Webb telescope. The images demonstrated Webb's ability to collect data on distant objects and observe highly detailed elements of galaxies and exoplanets. 9NASA said a sensitive, infrared instrument made it possible for the orbiting observatory to confirm the presence of carbon dioxide in WASP-39 b's atmosphere. The instrument is called a Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec). 10NIRSpec is designed to capture radiation in near-infrared wavelengths. Using this instrument, astronomers are able to produce a detailed map of some of the chemicals found in a planet's atmosphere, if conditions are right. This permits scientists to look for the presence of gasses and other substances. 11Zafar Rustamkulov is a student at Johns Hopkins University and a member of the Webb's Early Release Science team. He said in a statement that as soon as he saw the carbon dioxide data, he knew it was a major discovery. "It was a special moment, crossing an important threshold in exoplanet sciences." 12Natalie Batalha of the University of California at Santa Cruz helped lead the team. She said, "Detecting such a clear signal of carbon dioxide on WASP-39 b bodes well for the detection of atmospheres on smaller, terrestrial-sized planets." 13NASA said such discoveries are important because they help scientists better understand the makeup of a planet's atmosphere. This can provide valuable information about how planets formed and developed over time. 14"Carbon dioxide molecules are sensitive tracers of the story of planet formation," said Mike Line of Arizona State University. He is another member of the research team. "By measuring this carbon dioxide..., we can determine how much solid versus how much gaseous material was used to form this gas giant planet." 15Line added that in coming years, the Webb telescope is expected to continue making similar discoveries. In doing so, scientists can gain "insight into the details of how planets form and the uniqueness of our own solar system." 16I'm Bryan Lynn. 17Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from NASA, Agence France-Presse and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy. 18________________________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20vapor - n. small drops of liquid that exist in the air 21threshold - n. the level at which something starts to happen 22bode well - n. to be a good sign for the future 23terrestrial - adj. of or relating to Earth 24trace - v. to follow something 25insight - n. the ability to understand what something is really like 26unique - adj. different from other things 27___________________________________________________________________ 28What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 29Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.