NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope recently took a direct image of an exoplanet known as 14 Herculis c, which is a cold planet orbiting a star outside our solar system. This discovery sheds light on the evolution of planetary systems in the Milky Way galaxy.
The 14 Herculis c planet, located 60 light-years away from Earth, is a massive exoplanet, about seven times the size of Jupiter. It is one of the coldest exoplanets ever directly imaged, with a temperature of just 26 degrees Fahrenheit. The planet orbits a star similar to the sun and is accompanied by another planet closer to the host star, which is hidden from view by the coronagraph used by the Webb Telescope.
Unlike our solar system where planets orbit in the same plane, the 14 Herculis star system's two planets are misaligned, with their orbital planes inclined at an angle of about 40 degrees. Scientists believe that a third planet may have been ejected from the system early on, causing this unusual misalignment.
The Webb Telescope's ability to directly image 14 Herculis c is due to its Near-Infrared Camera, which can capture near-infrared light. This is crucial for observing cold objects that emit bright light in the infrared spectrum. The telescope's extreme sensitivity in the infrared range allows for the study of older exoplanets that are colder than previously observed.
The Webb Telescope, launched on Christmas Day in 2021, has a primary mirror with a diameter of 21 feet. It was designed to last five to ten years but is now expected to remain operational for up to 20 years due to fuel-saving measures during its launch.
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Source: Forbes
