James Webb telescope discovers carbon dioxide on an exoplanet, what does this mean for the space exploration?

The James Webb Space Telescope has recorded the first clear evidence of carbon dioxide on a planet outside of our own solar system. This ground-breaking discovery of a key component of life on earth not only provides new insight into far-away planets, but may also pave the way for further uses of this technology.

Carbon dioxide was identified on WASP-39b, a remote gas giant with a diameter roughly 130% of that of Jupiter. Its high temperature (about 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit or 900 degrees Celsius) is responsible for its bloated shape.

Telescopes like NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer have previously captured proof of water vapour, sodium and potassium in the atmosphere of WASP-39b and the James Webb’s discovery offers further insight into conditions on the distant exoplanet.

The new discovery was published in academic journal Nature, providing evidence that the James Webb telescope may be able to detect and measure the amount of carbon dioxide in the thinner atmosphere of distant rocky planets.

“From the first glance at the data it was already clear that we were dealing with a spectacular discovery,” says Dominique Petit de la Roche, co-author of the Nature study and researcher at the University of Geneva. “For the first time, carbon dioxide has been clearly detected on a planet outside the solar system.”

What does this mean for future space exploration?

Aside from given additional insight into the planet WASP-39b, the new discovery gives a tantalising taste of what can be achieved with the technology involved in the James Webb telescope. The identification of CO2 was made possible by cutting-edge technology that allows the telescope to spot molecules in distant exoplanets.

Being able to identify the molecules lets scientists study the composition, formation and evolution of planets across the galaxy. This can help better understand how our universe came into being and may also offer clues about the history of our own planet.

Natalie Batalha, researcher at the University of California at Santa Cruz, is the leader of the team that carried out the observations and is thrilled about the potential that this new technology offers going forward.

“Detecting such a clear signal of carbon dioxide on WASP-39b bodes well for the detection of atmospheres on smaller, terrestrial-sized planets as well as for measuring abundances of other gases like water and methane,” she said.

The latest discovery from the James Webb telescope is part of a larger project, called the Early Release Science program. NASA is attempting to provide the raw data produced by its incredible technology to exoplanet researchers around the world.

Vivien Parmentier, a co-investigator from Oxford University, is enthused about the prospects for collaborative research that the new program brings about.

“The goal is to analyze the Early Release Science observations quickly and develop open-source tools for the science community to use,” he explained. “This enables contributions from all over the world and ensures that the best possible science will come out of the coming decades of observations.”