James Webb Space Telescope received the first photographs of a planet outside the solar system in the history of space exploration, according to NASA.
The device photographed the planet HIP 65426 b. It is a gas giant without a solid surface with a mass of 6-12 times that of Jupiter. The age of the planet is about 15-20 million years, which is much less than that of the Earth (4.5 billion years).
“This is a turning point not only for Webb, but also for astronomy in in general, — said Sasha Hinckley, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Exeter in the UK, who led the observations.
"James Webb" — it is the largest space telescope with a mirror with a diameter of 6.5 meters. The device was launched by NASA into space on December 25, 2021 with the participation of the European and Canadian Space Agencies.
Earlier, using a telescope, it was possible to detect carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of an exoplanet for the first time.
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