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NASA's Webb Images Cold Exoplanet 12 Light-Years Away

Release date: Wednesday, July 24, 2024 11:00:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

NASA's Webb Images Cold Exoplanet 12 Light-Years Away



Epsilon Indi Ab is colder than any other imaged planet beyond our solar system.

If alien astronomers in a nearby star system had a telescope like NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, and they pointed it toward our solar system, then Jupiter might look very much like this new Webb image of the exoplanet Epsilon Indi Ab. It is one of the coldest exoplanets to be directly detected, with an estimated temperature of 35 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius). Epsilon Indi Ab is only around 180 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Celsius) warmer than gas giants in our solar system. With so many known exoplanets looking nothing like the planets in our solar system, Epsilon Indi Ab provides a rare opportunity for astronomers to study the atmospheric composition of true solar system analogs.



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Find additional articles, images, and videos at WebbTelescope.org



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