New from JWST: An exoplanet atmosphere as never seen before

Studies: - Early release science of the exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRSpec G395H - Early release science of the exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRSpec PRISM - Early release science of the exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRCam - Early release science of the exoplanet WASP-39b with JWST NIRISS - Direct evidence of photochemistry in an exoplanet atmos NASA's JWST has scored another first in its release of stunning images: a molecular and chemical portrait of a distant world's skies. The telescope's array of highly sensitive instruments was trained on the atmosphere of a "hot Saturn,” a planet about as massive as Saturn orbiting a star some 700 light-years away, known as WASP-39 b. While JWST and other space telescopes, including Hubble and Spitzer, previously have revealed isolated ingredients of this broiling planet's atmosphere, the new readings provide a full menu of atoms, molecules and even signs of active chemistry and clouds. The latest data also give a hint of how these clouds might look up close: broken up rather than a single, uniform blanket over the planet. The findings bode well for the capability of JWST's instruments to conduct the broad range of investigations of exoplanets-planets around other stars-hoped for by the science community. That includes probing the atmospheres of smaller, rocky planets like those in the TRAPPIST-1 system. The suite of discoveries is detailed in a set of five new scientific papers set for publication and available on the preprint server Arxiv.