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5d ago

JWST Reveals Heavy, Water- and CO2-Rich Atmosphere on Mini-Neptune Beside a Hot Jupiter

The volatile-rich air points to formation beyond the frost line, evidence of paired migration.

The planetary odd couple of a mini-Neptune and hot Jupiter probably formed out beyond its star’s “frostline,” in the colder region of the protoplanetary disk. Credits: Jose-Luis Olivares, MIT
An artist's impression of the TOI-1130 system, where a mini-Neptune and a hot Jupiter, a colossal gas giant, orbit their star together in one of the rarest planetary pairings ever discovered. (Image: Jose-Luis Olivares, MIT)
image: ©JulPo | iStock

Overview

  • An MIT-led team using the James Webb Space Telescope measured TOI-1130b’s atmosphere and detected water vapor, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and traces of methane.
  • The mini-Neptune shares the TOI-1130 system with a nearby hot Jupiter about 190 light years from Earth.
  • The presence of heavy molecules matches a planet that formed beyond the frost line, the cold zone where water freezes and icy pebbles help build thick atmospheres.
  • Researchers conclude the two planets likely migrated inward together and remain in a rare mean-motion resonance that gently shifts their orbital timing.
  • The study, published in Astrophysical Journal Letters, delivers the first atmospheric measurement of a mini-Neptune located inside the orbit of a hot Jupiter.