Recently, astronomers have made a remarkable discovery with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST): the spectrum of methane in the atmosphere of an exoplanet. With this observation, astronomers are able to gain an unprecedented understanding of the chemistry in an exoplanet’s atmosphere. The exoplanet is called Wasp-107b and is located about 200 light-years away from Earth. This exoplanet is the size of Jupiter, but orbits very close to its host star. It is believed to be a gas giant with temperatures of over 1,000 degrees Celsius. The JWST was able to detect the chemical signature of methane in the atmosphere of this exoplanet, providing a deeper insight into its composition. By measuring the planet’s brightness across different wavelengths of light, astronomers were able to identify the presence of methane. This is the first time that astronomers have been able to detect methane in the atmosphere of an exoplanet, and it could open up exciting possibilities for the study of exoplanetary atmospheres.

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source: Phys.org