The Webb Space Telescope takes the first direct image of a planet outside the solar system
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 2, 2022 (Xinhua) NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured its first-ever direct image of an exoplanet, the agency said Thursday.
The exoplanet in Webb’s image, called HIP 65426, is a gas giant, with a volume regarding six to 12 times the mass of Jupiter, according to NASA.
It is regarding 15 to 20 million years old, compared to Earth’s 4.5 billion years old, according to NASA.
NASA said the image, as seen through four different light filters, shows how Webb’s powerful infrared gaze can easily capture worlds outside the solar system, paving the way for future observations that will reveal more information than ever regarding exoplanets.
Webb is the largest, most powerful and most complex space science telescope in the world ever built. It is an international program led by NASA with its two partners, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. /ts/
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