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Nazrin Abdul

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NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has made another remarkable discovery, identifying a massive planet with temperatures potentially suitable for sustaining life, Azernews reports, citing foreign media.

Astronomers have found evidence of a planet orbiting the young red dwarf star known as “TWA 7” or “CE Antilae,” located approximately 34 light-years away. This planet, named “TWA 7b,” is estimated to have a mass about 100 times that of Earth.

Preliminary analysis by NASA suggests that TWA 7b is a young, cold planet with an approximate temperature of 48 degrees Celsius, conditions that could support life. However, some areas on the planet may reach temperatures as high as 70 degrees Celsius.

An international team of astronomers observed a faint infrared source within a debris disk surrounding the star, located roughly 50 times the distance between Earth and the Sun. Using James Webb’s mid-infrared instrument, they employed a high-contrast imaging technique that blocks out the star’s bright light to reveal nearby faint objects—allowing for direct detection of planets that would otherwise be lost in the star’s glare.

If confirmed, this would mark the first instance where a space telescope has directly imaged a planet beyond relying on gravitational lensing. This technique, based on Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity, enhances the telescope’s ability to detect exoplanets.

NASA notes that the planet’s position aligns with predictions, and the infrared emission is believed to originate from three dust rings encircling TWA 7b. This discovery highlights James Webb’s unprecedented capability to study low-mass planets around nearby stars, expanding our understanding of planetary systems beyond our own.