Webb space telescope helps spot planet losing atmosphere

An artist’s view of WASP-107b. PIC COURTESY/Thibaut Roger

Researchers have detected enormous clouds of helium drifting away from the exoplanet WASP-107b using the James Webb Space Telescope.

Planetary atmospheres can sometimes leak into space. Earth experiences this as well, losing a little more than 3 kg of material every second (mainly hydrogen), and this loss cannot be reversed.

The process, known as "atmospheric escape," is significant for worlds that orbit extremely close to their star, where intense heat makes the effect much stronger.

Understanding this process is crucial because it can influence how these planets change over time.

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