NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope just found its first exoplanet
Nasa telescope captures unprecedented image
- Nasa's James Webb Space Telescope has captured its first direct image of an exoplanet, named "TWA 7 b".
- The exoplanet is located approximately 110 light-years from Earth in the constellation Antlia, orbiting the young star TWA 7.
- The image was obtained using a coronagraph on the telescope's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), which blocks starlight to observe fainter objects.
- With a mass comparable to Saturn, TWA 7 b is significantly lighter than previously imaged exoplanets, making it easier to detect in the mid-infrared thermal range.
- The discovery helps explain the concentric ring structures observed around TWA 7, confirming that the exoplanet's gravitational interaction likely created these features.