James Webb Telescope, Photos Reveal Details , of Distant Exoplanets.<br />'Newsweek' reports that NASA's new James Webb Space Telescope has already showcased its ability to detect atmospheric gases on distant planets.<br />That ability will play a crucial <br />role in the search for life <br />elsewhere in the universe. .<br />On July 12, NASA released the first images <br />captured by Webb since the telescope <br />was launched in December. .<br />On July 12, NASA released the first images <br />captured by Webb since the telescope <br />was launched in December. .<br />The image set contained a snapshot of WASP-96 b, an exoplanet that orbits a star approximately <br />1,150 light-years away in the Phoenix constellation.<br />The image of WASP-96 b is <br />the most detailed of its kind.<br />A technique known as transit spectroscopy allows scientists to determine what other planets' atmospheres are made of, as well as those planets' temperatures. .<br />Researchers have detected what they <br />believe is the presence of water vapor, which <br />is crucial for sustaining life as we know it. .<br />However, the data collected through Webb <br />also suggests a blazing atmospheric <br />temperature of 1,350 degrees Fahrenheit. .<br />So yes, you can do science with the pretty pictures, but often it's the spectra that really let us tell the story, Jonathan McDowell, Harvard astronomer, via 'Newsweek'.<br />According to a NASA press release, the WASP-96 b data , "demonstrates that Webb has the power to characterize <br />the atmospheres of exoplanets—including those <br />of potentially habitable planets—in exquisite detail.".<br />According to a NASA press release, the WASP-96 b data , "demonstrates that Webb has the power to characterize <br />the atmospheres of exoplanets—including those <br />of potentially habitable planets—in exquisite detail."
