Dr. Prashant Pathak from IIT Kanpur, has identified a massive planet orbiting a nearby Sun-like star. Named Epsilon Indi Ab, this ‘super-Jupiter’ has a mass over six times that of Jupiter, making it the first mature exoplanet close to Earth to be directly imaged. The findings were published in the prestigious journal, Nature.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope’s (JWST) Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI), the team achieved a significant breakthrough by directly imaging Epsilon Indi Ab. This method departs from traditional techniques that infer a planet’s presence through gravitational effects or dimming starlight, showcasing JWST’s advanced capabilities in high sensitivity and infrared imaging.
Epsilon Indi Ab, located 12 light-years from Earth, is notably cold with a temperature around -1°C (30°F). Its orbit is immense, approximately 28 times the distance between Earth and the Sun. The discovery was led by Elisabeth Matthews from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, who noted that previous studies underestimated the planet’s mass and orbital separation. The JWST allowed for precise determination of these properties.
Elisabeth Matthews expressed the team’s excitement, stating, “To our surprise, the bright spot that appeared in our MIRI images did not match the expected position for the planet. Previous studies had correctly identified a planet in this system but underestimated its mass and orbital separation.” The JWST helped set the record straight.
Previous attempts to study Epsilon Indi Ab using radial velocity measurements failed due to its long orbital period of around 200 years. However, the team’s direct imaging approach, aided by JWST’s MIRI camera and a coronagraph to block starlight, enabled the detection of the planet’s faint light, similar to observing a solar eclipse.
The researchers aim to further study the planet’s climatology and chemical composition through spectral analysis. Thomas Henning, a co-author of the research, highlighted future goals: “We hope to survey other nearby planetary systems to understand the formation and evolution of gas giants.”
This collaborative effort included researchers from renowned institutions worldwide, advancing our understanding of distant worlds and their potential for life.
