Webb Finds Third Hidden Planet In Beta Pictoris System
Beta Pictoris d, at least twice Jupiter's mass, orbits 30 astronomical units out, detected by reading carbon monoxide lines instead of direct imaging.
- NIRSpec's integral field unit read carbon monoxide absorption lines, a first for this detection method.
- MIRI's mid-infrared instrument independently confirmed water vapor and methane in the planet's atmosphere.
- Beta Pictoris is now only the second known system with three directly imaged planets.
Why it matters: A planet nobody has photographed is not a guess when carbon monoxide lines prove its speed and position.
NASA (science.nasa.gov, Webb Mission Team) ↗ · Jul 15, 20267/15/26 · ✓ Checked✓ Check