The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered a toxic, bubbling atmosphere in a super-Earth located just 35 light-years away from us.
Scientists have unveiled the mystery surrounding L 98-59 d, a super-Earth orbiting the red dwarf star L 98-59, situated only 35 light-years from Earth.
This red dwarf star system, which has several surrounding planets, was previously known through NASA’s TESS telescope, but the findings were only preliminary.
Now, thanks to the superior capabilities of NASA/ESA/CSA’s James Webb Space Telescope, L 98-59 d has become the smallest world observed by humanity with a detectable atmosphere.
Super-Earth L 98-59 d has a deadly atmosphere – (Graphic: NASA).
L 98-59 d is a rocky planet similar to Earth, slightly larger at about 1.5 times its size. However, it is a hellish world.
Writing in the scientific journal The Conversation, Dr. Agnibha Banerjee from the Open University in the UK stated that the atmosphere of this super-Earth is thick with sulfur dioxide (SO2) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S).
These gases were identified based on the spectral data collected by James Webb regarding the planet.
The authors noted that this is a surprising finding because this atmosphere is entirely different from that of rocky planets in the Solar System, where water vapor and carbon dioxide (CO2) are much more common.
For example, Earth’s atmosphere is rich in nitrogen and oxygen, with a small amount of water vapor. Venus’s deadly atmosphere is also primarily carbon dioxide, and the same goes for Mars.
Scientists used a computer model to paint a potential picture of the planet’s deadly skies and concluded that these characteristics were formed by entirely different processes than those that have occurred in the Solar System.
“This suggests unique and extreme conditions on L 98-59 d, such as a molten surface or volcanic activity,” Dr. Banerjee stated.
The presence of SO2 and H2S also raises questions about their origin.
The most likely scenario is volcanic eruptions driven by tidal heating, very similar to what is observed on Jupiter’s moon Io.
The gravitational pull of the parent star on L 98-59 d stretches and compresses it as it moves along its orbit, heating the planet’s core, melting the interior, and causing extreme volcanic eruptions and even magma oceans.
Thus, this super-Earth is not a promised land for life. However, according to Dr. Banerjee, this extreme world remains a remarkable discovery, helping us understand the diversity of planetary evolution processes throughout the galaxy.
