Super-Earth Exoplanet TOI-561 b NIRSpec Emission Spectrum (IMAGE)
Caption
Caption: An emission spectrum captured by NIRSpec (the Near-Infrared Spectrograph) on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope in May 2024 shows the brightness of different wavelengths of 3- to 5-micron light coming from the ultra-hot super-Earth exoplanet TOI-561 b. Comparisons of the data to theoretical models suggest that the planet is not a bare rock, but is instead surrounded by a volatile-rich atmosphere.
The data (white circles) are based on measurements of the change in brightness of the star-planet system before, during, and after the secondary eclipse, when the planet moves behind the star. Although TOI-561 b is too close to the star to see on its own, the amount of light coming from the planet can be calculated by subtracting the brightness of the star (measured when the planet is behind the star) from the brightness of the planet and star combined (measured when the planet is beside the star). TOI-561 b is thought to be tidally locked, which means that most of the planetary light measured during this observation is coming from the dayside.
Three model spectra are shown for comparison. If TOI-561 b has a dark bare-rock surface with no atmosphere (smooth gray line), or a thin rock-vapor atmosphere (jagged purple line), the dayside of the planet should appear significantly brighter than it actually does. Instead, the data are much more consistent with an atmosphere rich in volatiles like water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide. (The model shown here assumes an atmosphere that is 100% water vapor.)
Credit
Credit: Image - NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI) Data - Johanna Teske (Carnegie Science Earth and Planets Laboratory), Anjali Piette (University of Birmingham), Tim Lichtenberg (Groningen), Nicole Wallack (Carnegie Science Earth and Planets Laboratory)
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