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Health & Science2h 28m ago
Astronomers discovered that WASP-121 b's morning and evening terminators, where day transitions to night, have distinct differences in heat and chemistry.
WASP-121 b (exoplanet)
Who
Cyril Gapp of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
What
Astronomers discovered that WASP-121 b's morning and evening terminators, where day transitions to night, have distinct differences in heat and chemistry.
When
Fri, 12 Jun 2026 23:07:00 GMT · 2h 28m ago
Where
WASP-121 b (exoplanet) ·
Why
Using the James Webb Space Telescope's unprecedented observational quality and specific infrared wavelength filtering during transit, researchers could track how atmospheric conditions changed as different longitudes rotated into view.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
This discovery offers scientists a much sharper understanding of how temperature and chemical composition vary across an exoplanet's atmosphere, improving atmospheric models for ultrahot Jupiters and aiding in future target selection for observatories.
Story chain
3 events in this thread- Currently Reading2h 28m agoAstronomers discovered that WASP-121 b's morning and evening terminators, where day transitions to night, have distinct differences in heat and chemistry.
- Health & Science2h 28m agoJWST reveals that WASP-121 b’s dawn and dusk atmospheres differ in heat and chemistry, sharpening views of alien weather.Open article
- Health & Science2h 28m agoAstronomers found clear differences between the morning and evening terminators of exoplanet WASP-121 b, where day turns to night, using the James Webb Space Telescope.Open article
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