The year 2023 witnessed the significant discoveries of a number of exciting new worlds, adding to the more than 5,000 confirmed exoplanets.
Earlier in 2023, observations made with the James Webb Space Telescope confirmed the presence of heavy elements, such as carbon and oxygen, in the atmosphere of the distant exoplanet known as Smertrios.
This discovery came as a surprise to astronomers, as the gas giants in our solar system, such as Jupiter and Saturn, mostly contain only hydrogen and helium in their atmosphere.
On the other hand, NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) added nearly 2,000 worlds to our list of exoplanets, as a giant gas planet called TOI-4600c emerged, orbiting its host star every 16 months. This gives it the longest year of any planet discovered by TESS. The temperature of the gas giant is also cold, estimated at minus 78 degrees Celsius.
Observations using James Webb’s mid-infrared instrument (MIRI) also found that two of the inner planets of the TRAPPIST planetary system likely do not have atmospheres.
TRAPPIST-1b, which is slightly larger than Earth, is likely bare rock with no atmosphere, with a scorching surface temperature of 232 degrees Celsius.
In parallel, astronomers have identified an exoplanet that reflects 80% of the light that shines on it from its host star. The super-hot planet, which is 264 light-years from Earth, is exceptionally reflective due to the high percentage of metals in its atmosphere.
Because the planet is five times the width of Earth, it has earned the title of “the largest cosmic mirror ever discovered.”
