Exoplanet Atmosphere (IMAGE)
Caption
An SwRI-led study modeled the chemistry of TOI-270 d, an exoplanet between Earth and Neptune in size, finding evidence that it is a giant rocky planet (super-Earth) surrounded by a thick, hot atmosphere. NASA’s JWST detected gases emanating from a region of the atmosphere over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit — hotter than the surface of Venus. The model illustrates a potential magma ocean removing ammonia from the atmosphere. Hot gases then undergo an equilibration process and are lofted into the planet’s photosphere where JWST can detect them.
Credit
Southwest Research Institute
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