James Webb Telescope reveals planet WASP-107b's astonishing atmosphere: Sand clouds and sulphur

James Webb Telescope breakthrough: Clouds of sand discovered on nearby exoplanet (Image courtesy: @ESA_Webb)

European astronomers, utilising NASA's James Webb Telescope, have uncovered an extraordinary discovery about the nearby transiting planet WASP-107b. This warm planet, with a mass similar to Neptune and a radius comparable to Jupiter, has a temperature of about 740 K (467°C).

In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers detected water vapour, sulphur dioxide (SO2), and surprisingly silicate sand clouds, unravelling the intricacies of this exoplanet's atmosphere.

The groundbreaking findings from a June study were officially disclosed on November 15 in the online journal Nature.

French astronomer Achrène Dyrek expressed excitement about the discoveries, emphasizing the unravelling of the enigmatic atmosphere of the fluffy exoplanet WASP-107b.

"I am thrilled to announce that we have discovered sand clouds, sulphur dioxide and gas water in the atmosphere of an exoplanet. This work has been published in @Nature and unravels the mysteries of the fluffy exoplanet WASP-107b," French astronomer and study co-author Achrène Dyrek wrote on social networking platform X (formerly Twitter).

Key findings

Exoplanet erosion: Scientists have found that the extended atmosphere of WASP-107b is undergoing erosion. Previous observations hinted at water vapour and a thick high-altitude condensate layer in the exoplanet's atmosphere.

Chemical makeup: Astonishingly, researchers have detected photochemically produced sulphur dioxide (SO2) in the planet's atmosphere. This marks WASP-107b as only the second known irradiated exoplanet with confirmed photochemistry.

Silicate clouds and Water wonders: The Webb telescope's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) also revealed the presence of silicate (sand) clouds in the exoplanet's atmosphere. Additionally, water was detected with high certainty.

Methane missing: Spectral analysis unveiled the absence of methane.

WASP-107b exoplanet at a glance

An exoplanet is any planet beyond our solar system. Discovered in 2017, WASP-107b, resembling Neptune, with a radius 0.94 times that of Jupiter, a mass equivalent to 30.5 Earths, orbits a K-type star. The exoplanet completes a full orbit around its star in 5.7 days.

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James Webb Space Telescope: An overview

The James Webb Space Telescope (Webb), launched on December 25, 2021, stands as a groundbreaking observatory in our quest to understand the Universe and our origins. It orbits the Sun 1.5 million kilometers (1 million miles) away from the Earth at what is called the second Lagrange point or L2.

Cosmic time machine: Webb studies every phase in the history of our Universe, ranging from the first luminous glows after the Big Bang, to the formation of solar systems capable of supporting life on planets like Earth, to the evolution of our own Solar System.

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Global collaboration: Managed by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Webb is an international collaboration involving NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). Thousands of scientists, engineers, and technicians from 14 countries, 29 US states and Washington, DC participated in the design, build, testing, integration, launch, commissioning, and ongoing operations of Webb.