James Webb Space Telescope detects lopsided atmosphere on exoplanet WASP-17b

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered that the scorching gas giant WASP-17b has a lopsided atmosphere, ScienceDaily Space & Time and The Debrief reported. Powerful winds on the distant exoplanet redistribute heat, which causes one side of its atmosphere to bulge outward. [1][3][5]

The exoplanet WASP-17b is located 1,300 light-years away from Earth, according to ScienceDaily Space & Time. Researchers mapped the planet using a new mapping technique to reveal the atmospheric distortions. While scientists previously depicted distant exoplanets with smooth, circular outlines, the new data confirmed predictions about atmospheric distortions and revealed the true shape of the planet for the first time, ScienceDaily Space & Time and The Debrief reported. [1][3][5]

The James Webb Space Telescope is the largest telescope in space and is designed to conduct infrared astronomy. Its high-resolution instruments allow scientists to perform atmospheric characterization of exoplanets and view objects too faint or distant for the Hubble Space Telescope. [6]

As FTMQ Space reported earlier, astronomers previously used the space telescope alongside South Africa's MeerKAT radio array to pinpoint the host galaxy of the furthest known fast radio burst, which traveled for more than 10 billion years to reach Earth. [7]