James Webb Telescope Captures First Direct Images of Exoplanet Carbon Dioxide

The discovery in the HR 8799 system provides new insights into planetary formation and the chemistry of distant worlds.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) directly detected carbon dioxide in the atmospheres of four gas giants in the HR 8799 system, located 130 light-years from Earth.
This marks the first time carbon dioxide has been directly observed in exoplanet atmospheres, showcasing JWST's advanced imaging capabilities.
The findings suggest these planets formed similarly to Jupiter and Saturn, through a slow core accretion process involving icy particles coalescing into solid cores.
At only 30 million years old, the HR 8799 system is relatively young, offering valuable data to compare planet formation processes across different systems.
The use of JWST's coronagraph technology allowed researchers to block out the host star's light, enabling detailed analysis of planetary atmospheres and paving the way for future observations of distant exoplanets.