A hellish planet with a “hot Jupiter” relatively close to Earth would probably smell like rotten eggs if we ever made the trip there, new data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) reveals.
HD 189733 b is a gas giant located about 64 light-years away in the constellation Vulpecula. It orbits extremely close to its home star — about 13 times closer than Mercury jobs the sun — and completes an orbit every two days. As a result, the exoplanet’s surface can reach a scorching 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit (925 degrees Celsius) — hot enough to melt certain types of rocks into magma.
Previous observations have shown that the exoplanet it is likely raining molten glass, probably blown sideways by winds of up to 500 mph (800 km/h) — about three times faster than a Category 5 hurricane on Earth.
In a new study published July 8 in the journal NatureResearchers aimed JWST at HD 189733 b to learn more about the unique alien world. In addition to measuring the amounts of carbon dioxide, oxygen, water, and heavy metals in the exoplanet’s atmosphere, the team discovered that it contained hydrogen sulfide — a toxic and flammable colorless gas released by decaying organic matter and volcanoes on Earth, and that smells like rotten eggs.
The researchers previously suspected that hydrogen sulfide could be found on distant gas giants, because the atmosphere of Jupiter And Uranus contain the same molecule. However, the gas has rarely been spotted outside the solar system, except for traces in the interstellar medium, or the space between stars, researchers wrote in a rack.
The discovery of hydrogen sulfide on HD 189733 b is an important “step toward finding this molecule on other planets and gaining more insight into how different types of planets form,” said the study’s lead author. Guangwei-fuan astrophysicist at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, said in the statement.
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The presence of hydrogen sulfide is important because it means the exoplanet contains sulfur, which is “an essential element for building more complex molecules,” Fu said. Sulfur is also an important element for nearly all life forms on Earth.
In this case it is very unlikely that HD 189733 b extraterrestrial life because of the hellish temperatures and weather conditions, Fu said. But knowing that it can be found on distant worlds outside the solar system could increase the possibility that a similar exoplanet could support some form of alien life.
The researchers now plan to use JWST to study similar “hot Jupiters” to see if they, too, contain hydrogen sulfide.
JWST has revolutionized the way scientists study exoplanets like HD 189733 b. The telescope’s advanced instruments can detect different chemicals from across the cosmos, including greenhouse gases on moons of the solar system, water around distant stars And carbon at the dawn of the universe.
Last year the telescope discovered a similar molecule, known as dimethyl sulfide, in the skies of the ocean-covered exoplanet K2-18 b. This gas, previously known only to be created by living organisms in Earth’s oceans, indicated that this alien world and others might be capable of supporting life. The presence of this molecule yet to be confirmed through further research.
Scientists also believe that if JWST were placed on the other side of the Milky Way, it be able to detect signs of life on Earth.