James Webb Space Telescope Determined Climate Of Dwarf Planets
Date
7/17/2024 4:11:28 AM
(MENAFN- AzerNews)
By Alimat Aliyeva
Astronomers have prepared the most detailed report on the
climate of two distant minor planets outside our Solar system. The
first such international study examined the extreme atmospheric
conditions on dwarf planets covered with hot sand clouds rotating
at a temperature of 950 degrees Celsius, Azernews
reports.
Researchers using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) set
out to determine weather conditions on a pair of brown dwarfs -
cosmic bodies smaller than planets, but more stars. These brown
dwarfs, collectively called WISE 1049AB, are about 6 light-years
away and are the brightest and closest objects to Earth.
The team monitored the atmosphere of each brown dwarf by
measuring the light waves emitted from its surface and recorded
temperature changes in regions with more or less clouds. By
visualizing this data using light curves, the astronomers were also
able to create a graph showing how the brightness of light from
each object changes over time - a detailed three-dimensional
representation of how the atmospheres of brown dwarfs change during
full rotation.
The team also demonstrated how the light from each object varies
depending on wavelength, the presence of water, methane and carbon
dioxide in their atmospheres and their complex interactions. By
observing the infrared portion of the light spectrum, JWST can also
observe wavelengths of light that are blocked by our own
atmosphere. This opportunity opens up new horizons in the study of
the universe, star formation and exoplanets such as brown dwarfs
outside the Solar System.
The latest research builds on previous studies, which were
limited to obtaining static images of the atmospheres of brown
dwarfs from only one side. According to the researchers, this
approach is limited because brown dwarfs rotate relatively quickly
and their atmosphere can change dramatically over time.
The discoveries of astronomers will open the way to more
detailed studies of brown dwarfs and other distant celestial
bodies. The results of the study, published in the monthly bulletin
of the British Royal Astronomical Society, were announced by the
University of Edinburgh in collaboration with scientists from the
University of Virginia in the United States and other institutions
around the world.
Astronomers believe that improved methods of the research
process can make it possible to determine the climatic conditions
on planets orbiting other stars, as well as on habitable
planets.
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