Even JWST can’t see through this planet’s massive haze

JWST Peers Into the Haze Surrounding an Unusual Cotton Candy-Like Planet

Learn more about the Kepler-51 star system and some of the ''oddball" planets that reside there.

Even JWST can’t see through this planet’s massive haze

Kepler-51d is a giant, ultra-light “super-puff” planet wrapped in an unusually thick haze that’s blocking scientists from seeing what it’s made of. Observations from JWST revealed that this haze may be one of the largest ever detected, possibly stretching as wide as Earth itself. The planet’s low density and close orbit don’t match existing models of how gas giants form or survive. Now, researchers are left with more questions than answers about…

Kepler-51d: A Game Changer in Planet Formation Theory

Kepler-51 is a young G dwarf star located approximately 2,615 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus. It remarkably hosts three superpuffs and one low-mass non-transiting exoplanet, making it a fascinating subject in the field of astronomy. Among these, Kepler-51d stands out as the system’s coolest transiting planet and is recognized as one of the least [...] The post Kepler-51d: A Game Changer in Planet Formation Theory appeared first on …

JWST Fails to See Through One of the Strangest Planets Ever Found

Kepler-51d is now one of the clearest examples of a planet where even the most advanced telescope ever built cannot determine what lies beneath its atmosphere. Observations using the James Webb Space Telescope did not produce the expected chemical signatures. Instead of distinct absorption features that would reveal the presence of molecules such as water […] The post JWST Fails to See Through One of the Strangest Planets Ever Found appeared fir…

Kepler-51d Challenges Theories of Planetary Formation

Kepler-51 is a young G-dwarf star hosting three super-puffs and one low-mass non-transiting exoplanet. The post Kepler-51d Challenges Theories of Planetary Formation appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.