Webb telescope takes first direct image of exoplanet

The Webb Space Telescope has captured the first direct image of an exoplanet . The exoplanet, named HIP 65426 b, is an uninhabitable gas giant. It is 6 to 12 times the mass of Jupiter and is between 15 and 20 million years old. Astronomers discovered the planet in 2017 using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile. The Webb telescope has now captured more details of the planet. These details cannot be captured from the ground due to interference from infrared radiation emitted by Earth’s atmosphere. The challenge with taking a direct image of HIP 65426 b is that it is much dimmer than the star it orbits, radiating less than 1/10,000th as bright in the near-infrared and less than 1/1000 in the mid-infrared. . Both the telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) are equipped with a coronagraph. The device blocks the light from stars, allowing telescopes to image planets.

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