For the first time, the JamesWebb Space Telescope (JWST)has measured the temperatureof a rocky exoplanet, calledTRAPPIST-1 b.
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Scorching exoplanet heat
Webb's onboard instrument estimated that the TRAPPIST-1 b exoplanet has a daytime temperature of 230 degrees Celsius.
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Planets beyond the solar system
NASA reports that apart from our solar system, TRAPPIST-1 is the most studied planetary system, which has seven exoplanets orbiting the parent star.
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Findings
The high temperature of TRAPPIST-1 b, which is the closest planet to the TRAPPIST-1 star, suggests that the exoplanet lacks an atmosphere.
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Technique
Researchers used a technique called secondary eclipse photometry to measure the temperature of TRAPPIST-1 b by estimating the amount of infrared light emitted by the exoplanet.