Webb Finds a Hidden Atmosphere on a Molten Super-Earth

Scientists Find the Strongest Evidence Yet of an Atmosphere on a Molten Rocky Exoplanet

Researchers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have detected the strongest evidence yet for an atmosphere on a rocky planet outside our solar system. Observations of the ultra-hot super-Earth TOI-561 b suggest that the exoplanet is surrounded by a thick blanket of gases above a global magma ocean.

Webb finds a hidden atmosphere on a molten super-Earth

Webb’s latest observations reveal a hellish world cloaked in an unexpected atmosphere: TOI-561 b, an ultra-hot rocky planet racing around its star in under 11 hours. Despite being blasted by intense radiation that should strip it bare, the planet appears to host a thick layer of gases above a global magma ocean, making it far less dense than expected.

JWST Detects Thick Atmosphere on Ultra-Hot Rocky Exoplanet TOI-561 b

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered compelling evidence of a thick atmosphere surrounding TOI-561 b, an ultra-hot rocky exoplanet orbiting its star every 11 hours. Despite extreme radiation and molten surface conditions, the planet appears cooler than expected, suggesting heat-redistributing atmospheric winds and volatile gases. The finding challenges long-standing theories of planetary evolution and shows that even …