A giant planet six times Jupiter's size was found by the James Webb telescope
Only 12 light-years from Earth, the powerful James Webb Space Telescope has uncovered a giant planet whose mass is six times that of Jupiter. This gigantic globe is exceptionally bright and cold.
4:13 PM EDT, July 25, 2024
This extraordinary world is notable for its exceptional brightness and low temperature. Close to us, only 12 light-years away, the James Webb Space Telescope has ignited scientists' hopes by providing images of a planet much more massive than Jupiter. This unique world combines two opposites: brightness and cold.
Successfully photographed the planet
According to experts from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, JWST has made a significant discovery. The object orbits a star categorized as an orange dwarf. The star was suspected of having a giant planet in its system, but until now, strong evidence was lacking. JWST has provided it, presenting images of this planetary giant.
Epsilon Indi A has turned out to be a cosmic monster, with a mass six times that of Jupiter—dwarfing all other known bodies in our solar system. Moreover, its brightness does not correspond with high temperature; despite its size, it is relatively cool, maintaining a temperature of about 35 degrees Fahrenheit. The distance between it and its star is 15 times that between Earth and the Sun, and a full orbit around its star takes several decades to complete.
Observations suggest that this world may be the sole giant in the entire star system. The journal Nature has published detailed results of these observations.
