Located about 40 light years from us, the exoplanet Trappist-1 b, orbiting an ultracool dwarf star, has perplexed astronomers with its atmospheric mysteries. Recent observations made by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) at two mid-infrared bands (12.8 and 15 µm), suggest that the exoplanet could either be bare, airless rock like Mercury or shrouded by a hazy carbon dioxide (CO2) atmosphere like Titan.
The research, reported in Nature Astronomy, provides the first thermal emission measurements for Trappist-1 b suggesting two plausible yet contradictory scenarios. This paradox challenges our current understanding of atmospheric models and highlights the need for further investigations – both theoretical and observational.
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