JWST makes 1st actual surface study of LHS 3844 b
For the first time, astronomers used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to study the actual surface of a planet outside our solar system.
The planet, LHS 3844 b, is a "super-Earth" about 30% bigger than our own and sits 50 light-years away.
Scientists describe it as a dark, hot, barren rock, with no atmosphere. Pretty wild!
JWST Mid-Infrared Instrument records 725°C dayside
Instead of looking at its atmosphere like usual, JWST measured heat coming straight from the planet's dayside using its Mid-Infrared Instrument.
Turns out, LHS 3844 b has a basaltic surface (think Mercury or the Moon), with dayside temperatures hitting 1,340 degrees Fahrenheit (725 degrees Celsius).
No signs of water-driven geology or recent volcanic activity showed up either.
As principal investigator Laura Kreidberg put it, this is a huge step forward in our ability to study rocky planets outside our solar system.