Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Bryony Gooch

NASA astronomers find new signs of giant gas planet using James Webb Telescope

  • Astronomers have found strong evidence of a giant gas planet orbiting a star in the Alpha Centauri system, located four light-years from Earth.
  • If confirmed, this potential planet, detected using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, would be the closest to Earth orbiting in the habitable zone of a sun-like star.
  • Although the planet is a gas giant and unlikely to support life itself, scientists suggest its moons could potentially sustain life.
  • The discovery is considered highly significant as it offers the best opportunity to gather data on planetary systems beyond our own, despite the observational challenges posed by bright stars.
  • Confirmation of this planet would represent a new milestone for exoplanet imaging and challenge existing theories on how planets form and evolve in complex stellar environments.

IN FULL

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.