James Webb Space Telescope creates 1st-ever 3D map of exoplanet
Astronomers just used the James Webb Space Telescope to create the first-ever 3D map of an exoplanet's atmosphere.
The planet, WASP-18b, sits about 400 light-years away and is a massive, ultra-hot Jupiter—10 times heavier than Jupiter and zipping around its star in less than a day.
Mapping WASP-18b's atmosphere
By tracking how light changed as WASP-18b moved behind its star, scientists spotted dramatic temperature zones: a blazing central hotspot with lower water vapor levels than the planet's atmospheric average (which researchers think is because extreme heat breaks water apart), and cooler rings circling the planet.
These details give us a new window into what alien worlds are really like—even when we can't snap direct pictures.
A new way to study exoplanets
This new mapping trick lets astronomers study exoplanet atmospheres in much more detail, helping us understand how these wild worlds work.
It's another big step for space science—and it all happened thanks to research published just yesterday (October 28, 2025).