The recent discovery by the James Webb Space Telescope of the presence of methane gas in the atmosphere of the planet WASP-80b, which is located outside the solar system, has attracted the attention and interest of astronomers, as this gas represents a chemical substance that excites those searching for biosignatures on other worlds.
The discovery was presented in a new research paper published in the journal Nature, entitled “Methane in the Atmosphere of the Warm Exoplanet WASP-80b,” prepared mainly by Taylor Bell, a postdoctoral researcher at the Gulf Area Environmental Research Institute, according to what was reported by the website.ScienceAlert“.
Planet WASP-80b is a gas giant with a mass about half the size of Jupiter. It orbits a main star that is about 1.5 billion years old. The planet is about 162 light-years away, and is the only planet discovered around the star so far.
Since WASP-80b is a gas giant, life is excluded on it, except for some extreme science fiction scenarios, and it is also unlikely that the source of methane gas on it results from what is called “olivine meandering”, since it is not a rocky planet, which leaves the source of methane on this planet. A place of research and excitement.
Through this discovery, it is possible to compare the exoplanet to the methane-containing atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune in our solar system. Which could help to better understand future methane discoveries.
WASP-80b is described as a “warm Jupiter.” Its temperature is about 550 degrees Celsius, while Jupiter’s temperature is about 112 degrees Celsius.
Temperature is an important point, especially in light of the scarcity of methane discoveries in the atmospheres of exoplanets, so at this stage of the game, each discovery plays an important role in developing atmospheric theory and directing follow-up research.
The temperature of WASP-80b places it in “an interesting transition regime where equilibrium chemistry models predict that there should be detectable CH4 and CO/CO2 properties in the planet’s transmission and emission spectra…” the paper’s authors explain.
The exoplanet is very close to its star, the red dwarf, and its orbit takes only three days. Because the planet is so far from Earth and so close to its star, even the powerful James Webb Space Telescope can’t actually see it. Instead, astronomers used the James Webb Space Telescope to study the combined light from the star and the planet during transits and eclipses.
There haven’t been many detections of methane in exoplanetary atmospheres by telescopes like Hubble and Spitzer, which can observe in infrared, although not like the James Webb Space Telescope.
The lack of discoveries has led scientists to develop theoretical explanations for how methane is depleted in the atmosphere
Since the James Webb Space Telescope detected methane, this raises an important question, and means the planet deserves a closer look.
Methane attracts scientific interest mainly because of its short duration in the planetary atmosphere. Methane cannot withstand starlight for long, at least not in terrestrial atmospheres. It succumbs to photolysis and needs to be constantly renewed to maintain its presence in the atmosphere.
If the rocky planet has a lot of methane, the source must be massive, making a biogenic source likely. On Earth, for example, biological activity produces a huge amount of methane.
Methane is common in the solar system, although it is not necessarily abundant. As far as scientists can tell, it’s all non-vital activity – in short, evidence of life.
If astronomers continue to discover methane in more exoplanet atmospheres, it could change thinking about methane as a biosignature.
Researchers explain that finding exoplanets that contain methane in their atmospheres also helps understand the solar system.
“NASA has a history of sending spacecraft to the gas giants of our solar system to measure the amount of methane and other molecules in their atmosphere,” the authors wrote.
They continued: “Now, by measuring the same gas in an exoplanet, we can start to make a comparison and see if the predictions from the solar system match what we see outside it.”
Researchers also say that measuring methane along with water helps determine how and where the planet formed.
“For example, by measuring the amount of methane and water in the planet, we can infer the ratio of carbon atoms to oxygen atoms,” they wrote.
“This ratio is expected to change depending on where and when the planets formed in its system,” according to the researchers, as astronomers can use this data to determine whether the planet formed near its star or formed far away and then migrated inland.
“Our findings lead us to believe that we will be able to monitor other carbon-rich molecules, such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, enabling us to paint a more comprehensive picture of conditions in this planet’s atmosphere,” the researchers explain.
While methane attracts everyone’s attention because of its connection to biology, this research shows us another side of methane. It can help understand how and where some planets formed and whether they migrated.
The James Webb Space Telescope is poised to play a major role in building scientists’ knowledge of methane and the atmosphere.
The authors conclude: “One thing is clear: the journey of exploration using the James Webb Space Telescope is full of potential surprises.”
