James Webb Telescope captures exoplanet 'Tylos' shedding gas in two comet-like tails

Exoplanet WASP-121b, or Tylos, and its star (Image: NASA/ESA/G. Bacon/STSci)

The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a record-breaking exoplanet. The distant world is sprouting two enormous comet-like tails. Scientists say the discovery reveals extreme planetary atmospheric loss. The observation marks a first in detailed planetary tail imaging.

Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope led the research. The international team analysed infrared data from Webb’s sensitive instruments. Their findings were recently reported in a peer-reviewed scientific study.

The planet is a hot gas giant orbiting extremely close. Intense stellar radiation is stripping away its atmosphere continuously. Escaping gas and dust form two vast streaming tails. These tails stretch millions of kilometres into surrounding space.

The exoplanet orbits a distant star beyond our Solar System. It lies within a hostile stellar environment dominated by radiation. Such planets are known as ultra-hot, close-in exoplanets.

The planet is officially known as Tylos, or WASP-69b. It is a gas giant orbiting dangerously close to its star. Tylos completes one orbit in just over three days. Surface temperatures soar due to relentless stellar radiation. The planet’s atmosphere is being actively stripped away.

Hydrogen and heavier elements stream into surrounding space. This escape creates the planet’s distinctive twin tails. Scientists call Tylos a laboratory for atmospheric destruction. Tylos will help to explain how extreme planets evolve and vanish.

JWST recorded the planetary tails during recent observation campaigns. Earlier telescopes hinted at similar features but lacked sufficient resolution. Webb’s data now confirms and clearly resolves the twin tails.

Webb used infrared spectroscopy to track escaping atmospheric material. The telescope detected heat signatures and chemical traces precisely. These signals revealed gas flowing behind the planet continuously. JWST’s sensitivity made the unprecedented detection possible.

Atmospheric escape shapes how planets evolve and survive. Studying this process explains why some planets lose entire atmospheres. The discovery helps refine models of planetary life cycles. It also informs theories about planetary habitability elsewhere.

Scientists plan long-term monitoring of Tylos using JWST. Future observations will track changes in tail size. Researchers aim to measure how quickly the atmosphere escapes.

Chemical fingerprints within the tails will be studied closely. This may reveal elements heavier than hydrogen. The planet offers insights into atmospheric survival limits. Tylos may explain why some close planets disappear completely.