Aneesh Baburaj led James Webb detection of GJ 504b signals
The James Webb Space Telescope just spotted something wild on GJ 504b, a faint pink planet about 57 light-years away.
Using some clever tech, researchers led by Northwestern postdoctoral researcher Aneesh Baburaj managed to pick up its super subtle signals and published their findings in The Astronomical Journal.
GJ 504b atmosphere contains salt clouds
Turns out, the planet's atmosphere is packed with salt clouds, water vapor, methane, ammonia, and carbon dioxide.
Deep salt clouds seem to best fit the observed spectrum, muting signals from molecules lower in the atmosphere.
Scientists are still figuring out if GJ 504b is a giant planet or a brown dwarf.
Discovery shows JWST can study atmospheres
GJ 504b is pretty old (between 2.5 and 4 billion years) and GJ 504b's temperature is about 550 degrees Fahrenheit.
This discovery shows how JWST can help us learn more about distant worlds with weird and complex atmospheres.