This is the first time that carbon dioxide has been clearly detected on a planet outside the solar system. Researchers from the University of Geneva, the University of Bern and the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS participated in this discovery.
The space telescope was able to detect light from the exoplanet’s star as it passed through its atmosphere. This filtered light gives out certain colours depending on the gases in the planet’s atmosphere.
Using the near-infrared spectrograph (NIRSpec) of the James-Webb telescope, the research team was able to detect the ‘fingerprint’ of carbon dioxide in the light passing through the atmosphere of WASP-39b.
“As soon as we saw the data, it was clear that we were dealing with a spectacular discovery,” said Dominique Petit dit de la Roche, a researcher at the University of Geneva and co-author of the study.
These results will be published soon in the journal Nature.
Launched at the end of 2021 by NASA, with the collaboration of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the James Webb Space Telescope is the biggest and most powerful telescope ever sent into space.
While the Hubble telescope captured images in the spectrum visible to the human eye, the Webb can see further in both space and time – largely thanks to the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), one of four scientific instruments on board. MIRI, developed with the help of Swiss researchers, can peer into the wavelength range from 5 to 28 microns – a mid-infrared range under-researched to date, and within which it’s hoped can be spotted galaxies at the edge of the universe.
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A 36-year-old man from Ticino lost his life on Saturday in Val Malvaglia, in the north of canton Ticino, during a wingsuit jump from a plane.
Swiss Evangelical Reformed Church numbers dropping in French-speaking Switzerland
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As in German-speaking Switzerland, the number of members of the Reformed Church in French-speaking Switzerland is also declining.
Gotthard traffic queue hits 20km during holiday weekend
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The traffic jam at the Gotthard north portal reached a length of 20 kilometres on the motorway between canton Nidwalden and canton Uri.
Swiss Interior Minister visits Cannes Film Festival
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Swiss Interior Minister left the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday after three days of intensive dialogue, meetings and film screenings.
Swiss theatre director breaks with tradition at Vienna’s Rathausplatz
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With the proclamation of the "Free Republic of Vienna", the start of the festival on Friday evening was unusually political.
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A glimpse into the origins of the universe
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Swiss astrophysicist Adrian Glauser guides us through the technology in the most powerful space telescope ever deployed – the James Webb.
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.