The hellish planet “hot Jupiter” located relatively close to Earth would probably smell like rotten eggs if we ever visited. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) reveals.
HD 189733 b is a gas giant located about 64 light-years away in the constellation Vulpecula. It orbits extremely close to its home star – about 13 times closer than Quicksilver orbit sun — and completes one round trip every two days. As a result, the exoplanet’s surface can reach a scorching 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit (925 degrees Celsius) — hot enough to melt certain types of rock into magma.
Previous observations have shown that exoplanet it’s probably raining molten glass that’s probably blown sideways by winds that travel at up to 500 mph—about three times faster than a Category 5 hurricane on Earth.
In a new study published July 8 in the journal Nature, researchers turned JWST toward HD 189733 b to learn more about the unique alien world. In addition to measuring the amount of carbon dioxide, oxygen, water and heavy metals in the exoplanet’s atmosphere, the team found that it contains hydrogen sulfide—a toxic and flammable colorless gas released by decaying organic matter and volcanoes on Earth that smells like rotten eggs.
Scientists had previously assumed that hydrogen sulfide could be found on distant gas giants because of their atmospheres Jupiter and Uranium contain the same molecule. However, the gas has rarely been seen outside the solar system, except in trace amounts in the interstellar medium, or the space between stars, the researchers wrote in the paper. declaration.
The discovery of hydrogen sulfide on HD 189733 b is an important “stepping stone for finding this molecule on other planets and gaining a better understanding of how different types of planets form,” the study’s lead author Guangwei Fuan astrophysicist at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, said in a statement.
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The presence of hydrogen sulfide is important because it means the exoplanet contains sulfur, which is “a vital element for building more complex molecules,” Fu said. Sulfur is also a key element for almost all life forms on Earth.
In this case, HD 189733 b is very unlikely to be preserved extraterrestrial life because of its hellish temperature and weather conditions, Fu said. However, the knowledge that it may be located on distant worlds outside the solar system could raise the possibility that a similar exoplanet could support some form of alien life.
Scientists now plan to use JWST to study similar “hot Jupiters” to see if they also contain hydrogen sulfide.
JWST has revolutionized the way scientists study exoplanets like HD 189733 b. The telescope’s state-of-the-art instruments can detect a variety of chemicals from around the universe, including of greenhouse gases on the moons of the solar system, water surrounding distant stars and carbon at the dawn of space.
Last year, the telescope spotted a similar molecule, known as dimethyl sulfide, in the sky of the ocean-covered exoplanet K2-18 b. This gas, previously known to have only been created by living organisms in Earth’s oceans, suggested that this alien world and others might be capable of harboring life. However, the presence of this molecule has yet to be confirmed follow-up research.
Scientists also believe that if JWST were located on the other side of the Milky Way, it would be able to detect signs of life on Earth.