{"id":33748,"date":"2026-06-27T04:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T09:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/?p=33748"},"modified":"2026-06-26T08:09:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T13:09:04","slug":"the-webb-telescope-captures-a-roasting-exoplanet-4900f-clouds-of-glass-and-an-atmosphere-of-vaporized-metal-on-a-world-that-is-boiling-just-a-hairs-breadth-from-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/the-webb-telescope-captures-a-roasting-exoplanet-4900f-clouds-of-glass-and-an-atmosphere-of-vaporized-metal-on-a-world-that-is-boiling-just-a-hairs-breadth-from-it\/33748\/","title":{"rendered":"The Webb telescope captures a \u201croasting\u201d exoplanet: 4,900\u00b0F, clouds of glass, and an atmosphere of vaporized metal on a world that is boiling just a hair\u2019s breadth from its star"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NASA\u2019s James Webb Space Telescope has watched a giant exoplanet go through one of the most dramatic temperature swings ever seen beyond our solar system. The planet, called<a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/exoplanet-catalog\/hd-80606-b\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> HD 80606 b<\/a>, is roughly 4 times the mass of Jupiter and follows a stretched-out orbit that sends it sweeping close to a<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/the-james-webb-space-telescope-points-to-the-eye-of-god-and-what-it-sees-looks-like-a-scene-from-the-future-this-is-how-the-sun-could-end-up-in-5-billion-years-according-to-models\/29571\/\"> Sunlike star<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As it makes that close pass, Webb shows the planet\u2019s temperature jumping by 1,100\u00b0F. That is not just a hot day in space. It is a rapid atmospheric shock that could help scientists understand how alien weather, chemistry, and clouds change almost in real time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A planet with a wild orbit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">HD 80606 b is a gas giant, which means it is more like Jupiter than Earth. According to NASA\u2019s exoplanet catalog, it takes about 111.4 days to complete one trip around its star, and its discovery was announced in 2001.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The key detail is the shape of that path. NASA lists the planet\u2019s orbital eccentricity at 0.93, which means its orbit is extremely stretched rather than close to circular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most \u201chot Jupiters\u201d stay close to their stars all the time. HD 80606 b is stranger because it spends part of its orbit farther away, then rushes inward for a brutal blast of starlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"James Webb Space Telescope Just Witnessed a Planet Getting Roasted Alive\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VMqNpaC4Ems?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">YouTube: <em>@CosmiScience<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Webb watched the heat rise<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The research team used<a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/webb\/mid-infrared-instrument-miri\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Webb\u2019s Mid-Infrared Instrument<\/a>, also known as MIRI, to observe the planet before, during, and after periastron, the point where it comes closest to its star. During that same period, the planet also passed behind the star from Webb\u2019s point of view in what astronomers call a secondary eclipse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-element-a00da4e5\">\n<div><div class=\"gb-looper-46613eed\">\n<div class=\"gb-loop-item gb-loop-item-a8390598 post-33758 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-science resize-featured-image\">\n<h3 class=\"gb-text gb-text-24a51617\">Read More: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/the-microwave-sized-mini-refrigerator-floating-400-km-above-earth-has-just-put-atoms-into-ghost-mode-at-273-c-and-nasa-scientists-believe-this-experiment-could-equip-f\/33758\/\">The microwave-sized mini-refrigerator floating 400 km above Earth has just put atoms into \u201cghost mode\u201d at \u2013273 \u00b0C, and NASA scientists believe this experiment could equip future rockets with a \u201cgalactic GPS\u201d that not even errors in solar signals could throw off course<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Catching that moment was not simple. NASA said the observation took years of planning because the planet\u2019s 111-day orbit and Webb\u2019s viewing limits had to line up just right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then came the payoff. Webb detected a far stronger temperature rise than scientists had expected from earlier Spitzer Space Telescope data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why this world matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">HD 80606 b is not a place where anyone would look for life. It is a massive, punishing gas giant, and its close pass by its star is more like flying into a furnace than drifting through a calm solar system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, that is exactly why scientists care. When a planet changes this fast, researchers can watch its atmosphere respond under different conditions in a short window of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/science.jpl.nasa.gov\/people\/kataria\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tiffany Kataria<\/a>, the study\u2019s principal investigator at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, called HD 80606 b \u201cone of the most extreme\u201d hot Jupiters. She also said its unusual orbit creates a \u201cdifferent beast,\u201d because it does not behave like the more familiar gas giants that simply sit close to their stars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reading light like fingerprints<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To study the planet, scientists used<a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/webb\/science-overview\/science-explainers\/spectroscopy-101-introduction\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> spectroscopy<\/a>. Effectively, Webb breaks incoming light into its component colors so researchers can look for clues about temperature, motion, and chemical composition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-element-6b1fd319\">\n<div><div class=\"gb-looper-de175147\">\n<div class=\"gb-loop-item gb-loop-item-640b6d7d post-33689 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-science resize-featured-image\">\n<h3 class=\"gb-text gb-text-463980ba\">Read More: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/romania-opens-31000-year-old-cave-art-to-tourists-moving-ancient-bison-doodles-from-torchlight-to-selfie-sticks\/33689\/\">Romania opens 31,000-year-old cave art to tourists, moving ancient bison doodles from torchlight to selfie sticks<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It sounds technical, but the basic idea is surprisingly down-to-earth. Just as a detective looks for fingerprints at a scene, astronomers look for chemical fingerprints in light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That is where Webb\u2019s power becomes important. Ryan Challener, a co-author from the Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, said Webb can help distinguish chemical signatures such as \u201cmethane and carbon dioxide.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Spitzer set the stage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before Webb, NASA\u2019s retired<a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/spitzer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Spitzer Space Telescope<\/a> had already studied HD 80606 b in infrared light. That earlier work helped make the planet famous as the \u201croasted exoplanet,\u201d a nickname NASA even used in one of its popular poster series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spitzer showed that this planet was worth a much closer look. Webb is now building on that legacy with more detailed spectroscopic data, giving scientists a sharper view of how the atmosphere changes during the planet\u2019s close approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kataria said Webb revealed that the planet\u2019s temperature increase was even more extreme than expected. That is the kind of result that makes researchers go back to their models and ask what they missed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A laboratory in motion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Laura C. Mayorga, a co-investigator and exoplanet astronomer at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, said observing HD 80606 b is \u201cvery efficient.\u201d The reason is simple enough. One orbit lets scientists collect data under rapidly changing temperatures and chemistry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That matters because exoplanets are often hard to study in detail. They are distant, faint, and usually overwhelmed by the light of their stars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-element-c3f412f1\">\n<div><div class=\"gb-looper-ed60ee5a\">\n<div class=\"gb-loop-item gb-loop-item-fe0c26c6 post-33616 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-science resize-featured-image\">\n<h3 class=\"gb-text gb-text-f2469290\">Read More: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/viper-or-harmless-snake-one-glance-at-the-eyes-head-and-tail-could-save-you-from-panic-or-a-hospital-trip\/33616\/\">Viper or harmless snake? One glance at the eyes, head, and tail could save you from panic \u2013 or a hospital trip<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With HD 80606 b, the drama is built into the orbit. The planet gives scientists a natural experiment, repeating again and again every 111.4 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What comes next<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The research team says it has only started digging into the Webb dataset. That is worth keeping in mind, because early findings can be powerful without being the final word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the most part, this discovery is not about one strange planet alone. It is about learning how giant planetary atmospheres behave when heat arrives suddenly, intensely, and unevenly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the end of the day, HD 80606 b is a reminder that planets are not static balls hanging quietly in space. Some are restless worlds with atmospheres that react, shift, and rewrite themselves under extreme pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The press release was published on<em> <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/missions\/webb\/nasas-webb-catches-exoplanet-getting-roasted\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NASA<\/a>\u2019s<\/em> website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NASA\u2019s James Webb Space Telescope has watched a giant exoplanet go through one of the most dramatic temperature swings ever &#8230; <\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more-container\"><a title=\"The Webb telescope captures a \u201croasting\u201d exoplanet: 4,900\u00b0F, clouds of glass, and an atmosphere of vaporized metal on a world that is boiling just a hair\u2019s breadth from its star\" class=\"read-more button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/the-webb-telescope-captures-a-roasting-exoplanet-4900f-clouds-of-glass-and-an-atmosphere-of-vaporized-metal-on-a-world-that-is-boiling-just-a-hairs-breadth-from-it\/33748\/#more-33748\" aria-label=\"Read more about The Webb telescope captures a \u201croasting\u201d exoplanet: 4,900\u00b0F, clouds of glass, and an atmosphere of vaporized metal on a world that is boiling just a hair\u2019s breadth from its star\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":33749,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science","resize-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33748","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33748"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33748\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33751,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33748\/revisions\/33751"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33749"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}