The Webb telescope directly photographed the planets of the "three-body" galaxy

Lead

Recently, the James · Webb Infrared Space Telescope photographed exoplanets directly for the first time, but this did not attract attention.

This is because there have been a lot of pictures of exoplanets in the past two years, but Webb photographed a very special planet called "Epsilon Indi Ab".

Moreover, this planet also belongs to a three-body galaxy, which can be said to be very special.

So what's so special about this exoplanet that Webb photographed directly?

Is there some kind of secret that no one knows?

Let's uncover the special features of this planet, and what perspective will it provide for the exploration of planetary knowledge in the universe?

""Indy Ab".

"Epsilon Indi Ab" is an exoplanet photographed directly by Webb, and it is the first exoplanet photographed directly by Webb telescope.

The planet is located about 12 light-years from Earth and belongs to a galaxy near our solar system.

Like the solar system, there are three stars in the global community, and these three stars are named "Epsilon Indi A", "Epsilon Indi Ba" and "Epsilon Indi Bb".

Among them, "Epsilon Indi A" is the parent star in the three-body galaxy and is a K-class star.

And "Epsilon Indi B" is the only exoplanet that has been discovered so far.

Hence the name "Epsilon Indi Ab".

It is the gravitational pull of the parent planet, Indi A, that keeps the planet in its orbit.

The planet has a very nice name, and its name is "Alex".

It is also because of this name that "Epsilon Indi Ab" is no longer just called a frozen Jupiter BIG FREEZE.

Instead, it has a more authentic and figurative name.

What is the planet that Webb photographed directly this time?

It is estimated that the mass of this planet is about 6 times that of Jupiter in the solar system, while its surface temperature even reaches zero degrees Celsius, only 2 degrees Celsius.

Some people even call it "the happy frozen Jupiter".

So what's so special about this planet?

It is reported that the orbital radius of this planet is not much different from the distance between the Earth, which is about 4.3 astronomical units.

And there is also a star in this galaxy, which is a K-type star like the Sun.

The planet is much more massive from its parent planet, Epsilon Indi A, than hydrogen helium gas.

And this planet does not have a solid crust like Earth, so this planet is also called a "mild super-Jupiter".

Shooting exoplanets directly difficulty.

The Webb telescope is known as the "planetary hunter" and it can capture light through infrared rays.

But it's very difficult to photograph an exoplanet directly.

This is because an exoplanet is very far away from our Earth, so to photograph this exoplanet we have to overcome the glow emitted by the parent star.

In addition to this planet, Webb has taken images of 16 exoplanets in previous years, but none of these 16 planets can be called directly photographed exoplanets.

Because those planets were photographed directly during the journey, not directly.

The first exoplanet Webb photographed was undoubtedly the planet Indi Ab.

It was very difficult for Webb to photograph the planet directly, as Webb was required to use a coronameter to block out the star's rays.

In this way, the light of this star can be blocked, and the faint image of the planet can be revealed.

It is precisely because of this time that the Webb telescope directly captured the image of the planet "Epsilon Indi Ab", which is called the first exoplanet directly photographed by Webb.

Webb not only took images of the planet, but also performed a series of analyses of its images.

But analysis of the planet reveals that it has a huge problem.

Images of the planet that were taken directly show that the composition of its atmosphere is not the same as what scientists have theoretically modeled.

So what does the planet's actual atmospheric composition look like?

According to the analysis of scientists, the planet's atmosphere may be very rich in clouds and may also be rich in carbon-rich molecules.

So it's likely that the massive mass of these clouds is causing the composition of the atmosphere to be different from scientists' models.

Why is the atmospheric composition of the planet "Epsilon Indi Ab" different from the theoretical model of scientists?

It turns out that scientists predict the composition of the planet's atmosphere and think that the mass ratio of oxygen in the atmosphere will be relatively high, about 0.01.

However, in actual observations, it has been found that the isotope ratio of oxygen in the atmosphere is very high.

So it means that the oxygen isotope ratio of "Epsilon" Indi Ab is very high, which means that the oxygen isotope ratio of this planet is about 0.07.

Therefore, there is a large gap between the planet and the theoretical model of scientists.

It has also been found that the planet's oxygen isotope ratio is even as high as nearly 50% higher than that of the solar system.

So how did "Epsilon Indi Ab" make it produce such a high oxygen isotope ratio?

Scientists have suggested two possibilities.

One possibility is that in this planetary comparison, interstellar matter may accretion to the planet in the process of evolution.

There is also the possibility that the planet originally had a very large number of carbon-rich molecules and clouds, or even both.

So this results in a very high oxygen isotope ratio on the planet "Epsilon Indi Ab".

So how these clouds are formed may require further research.

Scientists speculate that this may be due to the planet's high carbon/oxygen ratio.

This high carbon/oxygen ratio will in turn cause the planet's climate to become milder.

"埃普西隆Indi Ab"意义。

The discovery of this planet could have an important impact on exoplanet research.

For a long time, scientists focused on the fiery Jupiter-like planets because they were easier to spot and easier to detect the composition of their atmospheres.

However, with advances in observation technology, scientists are gradually turning to the study of cold-climate exoplanets, as they may represent more typical samples of gas giants.

"Epsilon Indi Ab", as a mild super-Jupiter, may provide scientists with an important analogy about the gas giants of the solar system.

The gas giants in our solar system, such as Jupiter and Saturn, are mild gas giants, and "Epsilon Indi Ab" may have had a similar evolutionary process to them.

Therefore, studying the properties of "Epsilon Indi Ab" may reveal the evolution of the gas giants of the solar system.

In addition, the study of this planet will also provide new clues to the search for an environment suitable for the existence of life.

Many scientists believe that terrestrial planets are most likely to support life, but some smaller, mild-climate gas giants may also create the right conditions.

Therefore, "Epsilon Indi Ab" may become an important target for the study of the origin of life.

epilogue

In summary, Epsilon Indi Ab is a shockingly mild super-Jupiter that offers us a new perspective on planetary formation and evolution, while also opening a new door to our opportunities to explore life.

The discovery of this planet has prompted us to re-examine the planetary classification criteria, as its climate and composition differ significantly from traditional Jupiter-like planets.

Future observational techniques may allow scientists to gain a deeper understanding of the characteristics of other cryogenic exoplanets, particularly their climate and atmospheric composition.

As with our research on "Epsilon Indi Ab", future discoveries will continue to enrich our knowledge and understanding of the universe.