For the first time, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has directly imaged an exoplanet. The object, named TWA 7 b, is the smallest exoplanet ever recorded in this way. The discovery was described by scientists from the Université Grenoble Alpes in the prestigious journal Nature. 

Although astronomers have already discovered thousands of planets outside the Solar System, capturing their direct image remains a huge technical challenge. When observed from our perspective, exoplanets are very close to their parent stars, which, due to their enormous brightness, almost completely overshadow them. However, the JWST is equipped with a unique instrument: a coronagraph that blocks out the light of the star, allowing its surroundings to be observed. 

Thanks to this technology, astronomers have located an exoplanet in the disk of dust and rocks surrounding the young star CE Antliae (TWA 7), 111 light-years from Earth. This system, only a few million years old, is particularly interesting when viewed from above (polarly), with distinct ring structures in the disk that could indicate the presence of planets. 

Careful analysis of JWST data and simulations confirmed the researchers’ hypothesis: the thin ring and characteristic gaps in the disk material were consistent with predictions for the presence of a planet. It was here that the telescope captured the object – a new exoplanet, designated TWA 7 b. 

This groundbreaking discovery not only confirms the existence of the planet, but also sets a new standard in exoplanet imaging. TWA 7 b has a mass comparable to Saturn – about 30% of Jupiter’s mass – and is ten times lighter than the smallest exoplanets that have been directly photographed so far. 

Scientists emphasize that the success of this observation paves the way for even more ambitious research. JWST has proven that it can capture images of relatively low-mass planets, and future generations of telescopes – both space-based and ground-based – may allow for direct observations of planets more similar to Earth. 

Source: Science in Poland