A dust storm has been seen for the first time ever outside of our Solar System, and it was discovered by the potent James Webb
Sandstorms were discovered on a planet several trillions of kilometers distant by NASA‘s James Webb Space Telescope. For the first time, a violent dust storm has been seen on a planet outside of our solar system.
What is VHS 1256b?
The exoplanet VHS 1256 b, a “large brown dwarf” planet situated about 40 light-years from Earth, experienced the storm that was identified by James Web, according to a news statement on the website of the Space Telescope Science Institute.
VHS 1256b was red in earlier observations, suggesting that it may have dust in its atmosphere. The Webb study backs it up. Clouds on the “hyper Jupiter” planet are made up of blazing hot, microscopic sand-like particles.
James Webb Space Telescope
One of Webb’s most impressive abilities is its capacity to perceive an alien atmosphere’s contents just through light.
Understanding what’s happening in alien atmospheres is one of Webb’s finest abilities. Webb can observe a far-off planet from its perch in orbit and examine the complete infrared spectrum of starlight that is filtered via the atmosphere.
Because different light spectra correlate to various elements, Webb can show scientists precisely which gases and vapors are present in the atmosphere of another Earth.
JWST’s other findings
Webb’s storm, however, isn’t nearly the same occurrence that would occur in a dry, desert area of our planet. It resembles a rocky mist. In addition to observing the far-off dust storm, the JWST was able to identify the constituents of its atmosphere: “silicate particles, ranging from minute specks to small grains.”
Webb’s findings also provide evidence for carbon dioxide and exhibit distinct signatures of carbon dioxide, methane, and water. It’s interesting because it shows how different clouds on different planets can resemble the water vapor clouds we are accustomed to on Earth, according to Prof. Biller.
We observe methane and carbon monoxide (CO) in the atmosphere, which is a sign that it is hot and turbulent and that material is being dragged up from deep.
“The silicate granules likely exist in numerous layers. There may be larger grains down in the atmosphere, but the ones we can see are some of the extremely fine ones that are higher up.
More of VHS 1256b
According to its descriptions on the STScI website, almost everything about VHS 1256 b, a planet that seems outrageous.
According to the BBC’s coverage of the Webb discovery, the planet was first discovered by the Vista Telescope in Chile, in 2015. It is referred to as a “super Jupiter,” and it has an atmosphere that is comparable to that of our Solar System’s gas giant, but it is much larger, ranging from 12 to 18 times the mass.
In the past, though other telescopes were able to amass as much data about VHS 1256 b piecemeal as Webb has, this is the first instance where one telescope has amassed so much data at once.
The team’s upcoming study in The Astrophysical Journal Letters was co-authored by Andrew Skemer of the University of California, Santa Cruz. He also added that no other telescope have found several characteristics at once on a single scale. The complex cloud and weather systems of the globe are being revealed by a large number of molecules in a single coverage from Webb.
