Webb finds a surprising atmosphere on a scorching lava world
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have detected an atmosphere on HD 3167 b, a scorching 'lava world' exoplanet. This discovery challenges previous assumptions about the ability of planets orbiting close to their stars to retain atmospheres.
Why it matters
Studying extreme environments on exoplanets helps scientists understand the atmospheric processes that may be necessary for life on other rocky worlds.
For scientists searching for life beyond Earth, rocky planets with atmospheres are among the most promising places to investigate. An atmosphere is essential for maintaining liquid water on a planet's surface. Yet among the more than 6,300 exoplanets cataloged thus far, most are not rocky, and only a small number of known rocky planets appear to possess atmospheres.
Now, researchers have added another world to that short list. In a study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters , a team led by University of Chicago scientist Brandon Park Coy reports evidence of an atmosphere surrounding HD 3167 b, a rocky super-Earth located 154 light-years away in the constellation Pisces. The intensely hot planet, classified as a "lava world," completes an orbit around its star in only one Earth day.
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