Nearby Exoplanet Reveals Rotten Egg Scent

Scientists have detected the presence of hydrogen sulfide in the atmosphere of the exoplanet HD 189733 b, a Jupiter-sized gas giant located just 64 light-years away from Earth. This finding, made possible by the James Webb Space Telescope, marks the first time that hydrogen sulfide, a compound known for its rotten egg odor, has been identified in an exoplanet's atmosphere.

"We predicted it would be, and we know it's in Jupiter, but we hadn't really detected it outside the solar system," said Guangwei Fu, an astrophysicist at Johns Hopkins University and a co-author of the study. "We're not looking for life on this planet because it's way too hot, but finding hydrogen sulfide is a stepping stone for finding this molecule on other planets and gaining more understanding of how different types of planets form."

HD 189733 b, which orbits its star every 2.2 days, is one of the most thoroughly studied exoplanets due to its proximity and the fact that it passes in front of its star as seen from Earth. The new data from the James Webb Space Telescope also allowed scientists to precisely measure the main sources of the planet's oxygen and carbon, including water, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide.

The presence of hydrogen sulfide in HD 189733 b's atmosphere offers new insights into the role of sulfur, a vital element for building more complex molecules, in the formation and atmospheric composition of gas giants beyond our solar system.

"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 Fu.

The new data also ruled out the presence of methane in HD 189733 b with unprecedented precision, contradicting previous claims about that molecule's abundance in the atmosphere.

"Now we have this new measurement to show that indeed the metal concentrations it has provide a very important anchor point to this study of how a planet's composition varies with its mass and radius," Fu said.

In future work, the team plans to track sulfur in more exoplanets to determine how high levels of that compound may influence how close they form to their parent stars.

---

James

admin

Stay Connected with Weekly Crier!

Follow us on Twitter: 
http://x.com/weeklycrier
Get inspired on Instagram:
http://instagram.com/weeklycrier
​Drop us a line at: 
[email protected]