Beyond our solar system, James Webb Space Telescope snaps 'Mini Neptune'

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james webb space telescope, james webb telescope, james webb telescope neptune, neptune, mini neptune, GJ1214b, space science, space science observatory, galaxies, stars, water world. Telescope captures mini neptune.

The James Webb Space Telescope, rthe world's leading space science observatory, has made a significant discovery. It has snapped a mysterious planet outside our solar system known as GJ1214b. The telescope's amazing capabilities allow it to peer back into time into the universe's past, reaching as far back as approximately 250 million years and potentially, even up to 100 million years following the Big Bang, when the formation of the first stars and galaxies began.

GJ1214b, the planet under scrutiny, possesses a distinctive atmosphere characterised by a steamy environment with a significant concentration of vapour. This extreme heat renders the planet inhospitable to liquid water oceans. "The planet is completely shrouded by some form of haze or cloud layer. The atmosphere remained entirely concealed from our view until this recent observation," affirmed Eliza Kempton, lead author and researcher at the University of Maryland.

Kempton speculated that, during its formation, GJ1214b might have been a "water world" containing substantial amounts of icy and watery materials if it indeed boasted a water-rich composition. Her findings were published in the journal Nature.

To overcome the challenge of penetrating such a dense barrier, the research team adopted an innovative approach. In addition to capturing the filtered light from the planet's atmosphere as it passed in front of its host star, they utilised the James Webb Space Telescope's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) to track GJ1214b throughout the majority of its