One well-done gas giant, coming right up! That\u2019s the latest from researchers analyzing NASA\u2019s James Webb Space Telescope\u2019s observations of HD 80606 b, an exoplanet four times the mass of Jupiter with an extremely elliptical orbit that sweeps close by its Sun-like star. The research team is presenting their study and preliminary findings Tuesday at the 248th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Pasadena, California.<\/p>\n
\u201cHot Jupiters are already considered some of the most extreme exoplanets we know of, but even among that population, HD 80606 b is one of the most extreme,\u201d said Tiffany Kataria, the study\u2019s principal investigator at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. \u201cWe typically think of hot Jupiters as hot gas giants sitting right next to their stars, but this planet\u2019s highly eccentric orbit creates a completely different beast.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the planet plunges close to its star, Webb shows its temperature skyrockets by 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit. Previous studies have shown that radical temperature swings can cause an exoplanet’s chemistry and clouds to change in real time. According to the research team, the dynamic conditions of HD 80606 b make the planet an ideal target to observe these changes with Webb\u2019s powerful instruments.<\/p>\n
![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/missions\/webb\/science\/2026\/06\/STScI-01KTQRQV4XDP5XZRVJT8KB2MFA.jpg?w=3840&h=2160&fit=clip&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>This artist\u2019s concept shows exoplanet HD 80606 b being \u201croasted\u201d as its orbit approaches periastron, the point at which it is closest to its host star, which is similar to our Sun.<\/p>\n
Artwork: NASA, ESA, CSA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>
\u201cObserving a planet like HD 80606 b is actually very efficient because its unusual orbit, with the corresponding swings in temperature and chemical composition, allow us to gather data under varying conditions in just hours and apply those findings to other hot Jupiters or more conventional exoplanets,\u201d said Laura C. Mayorga, co-investigator on the study and an exoplanet astronomer at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland.<\/p>\n
Measurements of temperature and chemical composition were done with spectroscopy<\/a>, a technique scientists use to break light into its component colors to reveal information about the composition, temperature, motion, and physical properties of objects in space.\u00a0The team used Webb\u2019s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) for an extended observation of HD 80606 b before, during, and after its periastron, or closest pass by its star. During periastron, the planet also passed behind the star from Webb\u2019s perspective in what\u2019s known as a secondary eclipse<\/a>. The observation was years in the planning, as scheduling the time to catch the planet at this point was complex given its extremely elliptical 111-day orbit<\/a>, and Webb\u2019s own restrictions on where it can look<\/a> during specific times of the year, based on Earth\u2019s position in orbit around the Sun.<\/p>\n Researchers say they have only begun to peel back the layers of an incredibly rich dataset, but they can clearly see a dramatic shift in the exoplanet\u2019s temperature.\u00a0\u201cWebb has shown that the planet\u2019s increase in temperature was even more extreme than we anticipated based on Spitzer data,\u201d said Kataria.<\/p>\n In fact, the planet had already been dubbed the \u201croasted exoplanet<\/a>\u201d and even got its own poster in NASA\u2019s popular series<\/a>. NASA\u2019s now-retired Spitzer Space Telescope laid the groundwork of infrared observations of HD 80606 b, showing that more detailed spectroscopic data from Webb would be especially compelling.<\/p>\n \u201cSpitzer did amazing work on this exoplanet, and now Webb is building on that legacy by enabling us to drill down to distinguish specific chemical signatures like methane and carbon dioxide, which is just amazing progress,\u201d said Ryan Challener, co-author and research associate at the Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science. \u201cThere\u2019s so much to learn from this one dataset here \u2014 we really are just getting started deciphering what Webb has to tell us.\u201d<\/p>\n The James Webb Space Telescope is the world\u2019s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency).<\/p>\n For more information on Webb, visit:<\/p>\n