Menu

Blog

Mar 22, 2023

The Webb Telescope Is So Powerful, It Spotted a Dust Storm on a Planet in a Different Star System

Posted by in category: space

For the first time ever, a dust storm has been observed outside of our Solar System — and naturally, it was the powerful James Webb Space Telescope that made the discovery.

A press release on the Space Telescope Science Institute’s Webb-site details the JWST-detected storm, which took place on exoplanet VHS 1,256 b, a “massive brown dwarf” planet located about 40 lightyears from Earth.

“Ever had hot sand whip across your face?” the press release quips. “That’s a soothing experience compared to the volatile conditions discovered high in the atmosphere of planet VHS 1,256 b.”

Comments are closed.