Jul 8, 2024
Exoplanet’s Rotten Egg Smell Revealed by Webb Telescope
Posted by Laurence Tognetti, Labroots Inc. in category: alien life
“Sulfur is a vital element for building more complex molecules, and—like carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and phosphate—scientists need to study it more to fully understand how planets are made and what they’re made of,” said Dr. Guangwei Fu.
How do exoplanets smell? This is what a recent study published in Nature hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated the atmosphere of HD 189,733 b, which is a “hot Jupiter” located approximately 64 light-years from Earth, discovering this unique exoplanet’s atmosphere contains hydrogen sulfide, which is a byproduct of sulfur and known for its rotten egg-like smell. This discovery holds the potential to help astronomers better understand the atmospheric composition of exoplanets and how these compositions can drive the interior processes of these exoplanets, as well.
Artist’s illustration of HD 189,733 b. (Credit: Roberto Molar Candanosa/Johns Hopkins Univeristy)
Continue reading “Exoplanet’s Rotten Egg Smell Revealed by Webb Telescope” »