Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers led by doctoral student Louis-Philippe Coulombe investigate the extreme weather patterns and atmospheric properties of LTT 9779 b.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers led by doctoral student Louis-Philippe Coulombe investigate the extreme weather patterns and atmospheric properties of LTT 9779 b.
The exotic atmosphere of LTT 9779 b, a rare “ultra-hot Neptune," is coming to light thanks to observations via the James Webb Space Telescope led by Louis-Philippe Coulombe, a doctoral student at Université de Montréal's Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets (IREx).
Published today in Nature Astronomy, the observations by Coulombe and his team offer new insights into the extreme weather patterns and atmospheric properties of this fascinating exoplanet.
Orbiting its host star in less than a day, LTT 9779 b is subjected to searing temperatures reaching almost 2,000°C on its dayside. The planet is tidally locked (similar to Earth’s Moon), meaning one side constantly faces its star while the other remains in perpetual darkness.
Read more at University of Montreal
Image: Illustration of LTT 9779 b, the only known ultra-hot Neptune. This planet orbits so close to its star that its atmosphere is scorching hot, glowing from its own heat while also reflecting starlight. Because it is tidally locked - always showing the same side to its star - one half is permanently in daylight while the other remains in darkness. New JWST observations with NIRISS reveal a dynamic atmosphere: powerful winds sweep around the planet, shaping mineral clouds as they condense into a bright, white arc on the slightly cooler western side of the dayside. As these clouds move eastward, they evaporate under the intense heat, leaving the eastern dayside with clear skies. (Credit: Benoit Gougeon, Université de Montréal)
