JWST studies temperate giant exoplanet TOI-199b with methane atmosphere
The Story
Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have analyzed the atmosphere of a rare temperate giant planet named TOI-199b. The Saturn-sized world has an estimated temperature of about 175°F and contains methane in its atmosphere, according to a study published May 20 in the Astronomical Journal.
Key Facts
- The planet TOI-199b sits more than 330 light-years from Earth and completes an orbit roughly every 100 days.
- Its estimated temperature of around 175°F is much cooler than typical hot Jupiters but warmer than frozen gas giants in our solar system.
- Researchers used transmission spectroscopy over about 20 hours of baseline observations and a seven-hour transit to detect methane.
- The observations also hinted at the presence of ammonia and carbon dioxide.
- The study was led by scientists from Penn State and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Caltech, with co-authors from multiple institutions.
- NASA funded the research through a grant from the Space Telescope Science Institute.
Conflicting Reports
No conflicting reports identified in the source article.
Still Unclear
Whether the hints of ammonia and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will be confirmed with additional observations.
Misconceptions
No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.
Key Figures
- Renyu Hu – associate professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State and leader of the research team
- Aaron Bello-Arufe – postdoctoral researcher at JPL and first author of the paper
- Aleksander Wolszczan – mentioned as part of 1992 exoplanet discovery team at Penn State
Sources: ScienceDaily
