The Webb Telescope captures the first image of an exoplanet

Taken by the James Webb Space Telescope His first alien filmAccording to the American Space Agency (NASA).

planet, Located outside the solar system And named HIP 65426 b, it is a gas giant without a rocky surface that cannot be habitable.

“We are facing a turning point, not just for the web, but for astronomy in generalUniversity of Exeter astronomy professor Sasha Hinckley, who led the observing team, said.

web Released in December 2021 Since then he has only been getting praise from astronomers for his performance.

It is the most powerful space telescope ever built and its images have thrilled viewers in recent months as it orbits the Sun 1.6 million kilometers from Earth.

Internet account With telescope accessories that block starlightThings like infrared vision and coronagraphs allow you to take direct pictures of exoplanets.

“It was very impressive how well Webb’s coronagraphs worked to suppress light from the host star,” Hinckley said in a NASA statement Thursday.

HIP 65426 b has six to 12 times the mass of Jupiter and is 15 to 20 million years old, particularly young compared to the 4.5 billion-year-old Earth.

The telescope, which released its first images in July, also revealed dazzling new details of the so-called Ghost Galaxy and the planet Jupiter.

Before this, the Hubble Space Telescope had taken direct images of exoplanets, but with much less detail.

“The most exciting thing is that we have only just begun“We can even find planets that were previously unknown,” said Arin Carter of the University of California, San Francisco.

The engineering project that included the Webb telescope had an estimate of $10,000 million and was a collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. It is expected to work for about 20 years.