JWST Detects Semi-Heavy Water on WASP-39b 700 Light-Years Away
Updated
Updated · ScienceAlert · Jul 30
JWST Detects Semi-Heavy Water on WASP-39b 700 Light-Years Away
3 articles · Updated · ScienceAlert · Jul 30
Summary
Astronomers using JWST identified semi-heavy water, or HDO, in the atmosphere of WASP-39b, a hot gas giant nearly 700 light-years from Earth.
The team used the molecule to estimate the planet's deuterium-to-hydrogen ratio, a formation clue that can show where the planet formed and how its atmosphere evolved.
WASP-39b appears significantly more deuterium-rich than Solar System gas giants, a result the researchers say could reflect strong atmospheric escape, chemical processing, or formation beyond its system's snow line before inward migration.
At roughly 1,000C, WASP-39b is not habitable, but the study says HDO's distinct spectral signature could make it a practical habitability tracer on temperate rocky exoplanets in future JWST-era observations.