The James Webb telescope has discovered a hidden planet near Beta Pictoris.
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- The James Webb telescope has discovered a hidden planet near Beta Pictoris.
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered the giant exoplanet Beta Pictoris d, which has long remained invisible inside one of the brightest circumstellar disks. The planet was identified by the chemical trace of its atmosphere. This was reported in the magazine on July 16. Phys.org .
Beta Pictoris is located about 63 light-years from Earth. The age of the system is estimated at 23 million years, so it allows us to observe the early stages of planetary development and their interaction with a disk of dust and debris left after formation.
According to the researchers, the mass of Beta Pictoris d is about two to four times the mass of Jupiter. It orbits the star at a distance of at least 30 astronomical units — approximately in the area where Neptune is located in the Solar System. Of the three known planets in the system, it moves in the widest orbit, but remains inside the edge of the dust disk.
The discovery was made by accident. The team used the NIRSpec near-infrared spectrograph to study the atmosphere of the already famous planet Beta Pictoris b. However, an unexpected source of radiation appeared in the data.
"We weren't looking for a new planet. We were trying to better understand the one we already knew existed. And then a characteristic signal appeared in the data where we did not expect it," said Aidan Gibbs, lead author of the study.
The researchers found a characteristic set of carbon monoxide absorption lines. According to scientists, it resembled a barcode and corresponded to the expected composition of the atmosphere of the giant planet. The spectrum analysis also allowed us to determine the object's velocity and confirm that it orbits Beta Pictoris, and is not a background star or a brown dwarf.
Subsequent observations using the MIRI mid-infrared instrument revealed water vapor and methane in the atmosphere. An independent study using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope and NIRCam camera also confirmed the existence of Beta Pictoris D.
The planet remained hidden due to the bright dust disk scattering the star's light. The spectroscopic method made it possible to separate the molecular features of the atmosphere from the ambient radiation. According to the authors, this approach can be used to search for exoplanets in other complex systems where conventional imaging methods are not effective enough.
Scientists also assume that Beta Pictoris d formed a clear inner boundary of the dust disk and influenced other features of its structure. The existence of a planet with a similar orbit was previously predicted based on the shape of the disk.
On June 24, Popular Science magazine reported the discovery of "fluffy" planets in the constellation of Flying Fish. According to the publication, the density of exoplanets, named TOI-791 b and TOI-791, is comparable to cotton candy. The researchers emphasized that currently only a small number of such "fluffy" planets are known, and it is even less possible to find several in one system.
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