LHS 475 b, an exoplanet, and its star (illustration)
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, which is the largest, most powerful space telescope ever built, has been used by researchers to confirm the existence of an exoplanet for the first time.
The research team is led by Kevin Stevenson, and Jacob Lustig-Yaeger said in a statement that "formally classified as LHS 475 b, the planet is almost exactly the same size as our own, clocking in at 99% of Earth's diameter."
The team chose to observe this target with Webb after carefully reviewing data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), which hinted at the planet's existence. Webb's near-infrared spectrograph (NIRSpec) captured the planet easily and clearly with only two transit observations.
"There is no question that the planet is there. Webb's pristine data validate it," said Lustig-Yaeger. "The fact that it is also a small, rocky planet is impressive for the observatory," Stevenson added.
Mark Clampin, astronomy division director at NASA headquarters in Washington, said in a statement: 'These first observational results from an Earth-size, rocky planet open the door to many future possibilities for studying rocky planet atmospheres with Webb."
"Webb is bringing us closer and closer to a new understanding of Earth-like worlds outside our solar system, and the mission is only just getting started."
The planet, which is located 41 light-years away, is a few hundred degrees warmer than Earth and can complete an orbit in two days.
The researchers' findings have opened up the possibility of pinpointing Earth-sized planets orbiting smaller red dwarf stars.
"This rocky planet confirmation highlights the precision of the mission's instruments," Stevenson said.
"And it is only the first of many discoveries that it will make." Lustig-Yaeger agreed: "With this telescope, rocky exoplanets are the new frontier."