NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Reveals Distinct Morning and Evening Atmospheres on Exoplanet WASP-39b: A Tidally Locked World with Extreme Temperature Differences
Exoplanet WASP-39b, larger than Jupiter and similar to Saturn in mass, orbits a star 700 light-years away from Earth
Morning side is cloudier due to temperature differences, evening side hotter at approximately 1450 degrees Fahrenheit (800 degrees Celsius)
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope confirms distinct atmospheres on exoplanet WASP-39b
Temperature difference caused by gas circulation, evidence for air pressure difference and high wind speeds
Tidal locking causes one side of the planet to be constantly exposed to star's light while other remains in darkness
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has confirmed the existence of distinct 'morning' and 'evening' atmospheres on an exoplanet named WASP-39b. This giant planet, with a diameter 1.3 times greater than Jupiter and a similar mass to Saturn, orbits a star about 700 light-years away from Earth. Due to its tidal locking, one side of the planet is constantly exposed to the star's light while the other remains in darkness.
Researchers have discovered that the morning side of WASP-39b is cloudier than its evening counterpart due to temperature differences. The evening side, on average, is significantly hotter at approximately 1,450 degrees Fahrenheit (800 degrees Celsius) compared to the morning's 1,150 degrees Fahrenheit (600 degrees Celsius).
The temperature difference between the two sides of WASP-39b is primarily caused by gas circulation around the planet. Researchers also found evidence for a significant air pressure difference and high wind speeds on the exoplanet due to extreme temperature differences.
This discovery marks an important step in understanding the atmospheric conditions of tidally locked exoplanets, which are not present in our Solar System.
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope confirmed differences between the atmospheres of an exoplanet’s eternal morning and eternal evening for the first time.
, WASP-39 b has a diameter 1.3 times greater than Jupiter and is tidally locked to its parent star.
The planet’s eternal morning side is likely cloudier than its eternal evening due to differences in temperature and atmospheric circulation.
Researchers found a temperature difference of about 300 Fahrenheit (200 Celsius) degrees between the eternal morning and evening on WASP-39 b.
The exoplanet’s atmosphere contains carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, water vapor, and sodium.
Wind speeds on WASP-39 b can reach thousands of miles per hour due to extreme temperature differences and air pressure variations.
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has confirmed differences between the eternal morning and evening atmosphere of exoplanet WASP-39 b.
The exoplanet's eternal morning side is likely cloudier than the evening due to different cloud cover.
The evening side of WASP-39 b is significantly hotter at 1,450 degrees Fahrenheit (800 degrees Celsius) compared to the morning at 1,150 degrees Fahrenheit (600 degrees Celsius).
Gas circulation around the planet is the main culprit of the temperature difference on WASP-39 b.
Researchers found evidence for a significant air pressure difference and high wind speeds due to extreme temperature differences on the exoplanet.
A team of international researchers have discovered a planet named WASP-39b, where one side is perpetually bathed in scorching sunlight and the other remains in eternal darkness.
Dr. James Kirk of Imperial College London was part of the team that made this discovery.
WASP-39b is a gas giant planet that orbits extremely close to its star and completes an entire year in the same amount of time it takes to rotate once on its axis.
Accuracy
The planet's eternal morning side is likely cloudier than its eternal evening due to differences in temperature and atmospheric circulation.
The morning side of WASP-39b is cloudier than the evening side due to differences in temperature.
Data revealed that the evening side is significantly hotter at 800°C compared to the morning side at 600°C.
Deception
(10%)
The article makes use of sensationalism by using phrases like 'cosmic twilight zone', 'scorching sunlight', and 'eternal darkness'. The author also uses emotional manipulation by describing the discovery as a 'case of cosmic coincidence' and stating that scientists are 'buzzing with excitement'. There is selective reporting, as the article only mentions temperatures on two specific sides of the planet without providing any context or comparison to other parts of the planet. The author also uses editorializing language such as 'defies our earthly expectations' and 'got scientists buzzing with excitement'.
A team of international researchers have located a distant planet where one side is perpetually bathed in scorching sunlight, while the other remains in eternal darkness.
As we continue to push the boundaries of what we can observe in the cosmos, each discovery brings us closer to answering some of humanity’s biggest questions: Are we alone in the universe? How common are planets like Earth? And what incredible, alien worlds are out there waiting to be discovered?
So, what exactly did scientists find? Picture this: on the ‘morning’ side of WASP-39b, where the cooler night air meets the blazing day, temperatures hover around a toasty 600°C (1,112°F). Meanwhile, on the ‘evening’ side, where the scorching daytime heat begins to fade into night, it’s even hotter at about 800°C (1,472°F).
The way scientists figured this out is pretty clever. They used a technique that measures how the star’s light changes as the planet passes in front of it.
Fallacies
(95%)
The author uses an appeal to coincidence when mentioning the name of the scientist 'James Kirk' and his discovery of a cosmic twilight zone on WASP-39b. This is an informal fallacy as it creates a false connection between two unrelated events.
A team of international researchers have located a distant planet where one side is perpetually bathed in scorching sunlight, while the other remains in eternal darkness. In a case of cosmic coincidence, one of the scientists making this discovery shares his name with one of the most famous sci-fi explorers, Star Trek’s James Kirk!
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center obtained a light curve from the James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph) showing the change in brightness from a star system over time as a planet transited the star.
Observation was made using NIRSpec’s bright object time-series mode, which uses a grating to spread out light from a single bright object and measure the brightness of each wavelength of light at set intervals of time.
Accuracy
WASP-39 b, the studied exoplanet, has a diameter 1.3 times greater than Jupiter and is tidally locked to its parent star.
The planet’s eternal morning side is likely cloudier than its eternal evening due to differences in temperature and atmospheric circulation.
The James Webb Space Telescope has revealed distinct ‘morning’ and ‘evening’ sides to a distant exoplanet called WASP-39b.
WASP-39b is a giant planet with a radius larger than Jupiter, similar mass to Saturn, and orbits a star about 700 light-years away from Earth.
The planet is tidally locked, meaning the same side always faces its star and has a constant ‘day’ side, ‘night’ side, and ‘morning’ and ‘evening’ sides in between.
Dr. James Kirk from Imperial College London stated that there is no planet like WASP-39b in our Solar System.
The morning side of WASP-39b is cloudier than the evening side due to differences in temperature.
Data revealed that the evening side is significantly hotter at 800°C compared to the morning side at 600°C.
