JWST may offer a solution to the enigma of enigmatic signals emanating from the distant “hell planet” located 40 light-years away from Earth.

A recent study examining the enigmatic super-Earth known as ’55 Cancri e’ indicates that the planet might be in a perpetual cycle of losing and regenerating its atmosphere, shedding light on the peculiar transit signals it has emitted for nearly two decades.

Scientists have now potentially solved the mystery surrounding the first super-Earth ever discovered, which has been emitting unusual signals. According to this new study, the planet experiences intermittent volcanic activity, periodically releasing hot gases that form an atmosphere, only to have that atmosphere subsequently eroded away, leaving the planet barren. This theory suggests that the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) might be instrumental in confirming these findings.

55 Cancri e, the rocky world in question, is approximately eight times the mass of Earth and was initially detected in 2004, located about 40 light-years from our home planet. It orbits its parent star at an incredibly close proximity, completing an entire orbit in just 17 hours, which subjects it to extreme conditions that have remained unexplained until now.

One of the most perplexing aspects of 55 Cancri e, as highlighted in a paper slated for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letters in September, is the nature of its transit signal. This signal pertains to the light visible from Earth during the planet’s transits across the face of its host star, resulting in a miniature eclipse, as well as the light observed when the planet passes behind its star.

On some occasions, when the planet moves behind its star, no visible light emanates from the planet itself, while in other instances, the planet emits a robust visible light signal. In infrared light, a signal is consistently detected, although its strength varies. Observations of this infrared light conducted with the Spitzer Space Telescope have revealed that the planet’s daytime side experiences exceptionally scorching temperatures exceeding 4,400 degrees Fahrenheit (2,427 degrees Celsius), while the nighttime side maintains somewhat cooler yet still harsh temperatures of approximately 2,060 degrees Fahrenheit (1127 degrees Celsius).

In this recent study, the authors suggest a hypothesis that attributes the planet’s close proximity to its star as the cause of its outgassing. This phenomenon involves the occurrence of giant volcanoes and thermal vents opening up, emitting hot, carbon-rich elements into the atmosphere. However, the planet cannot retain this atmosphere for long due to the intense heat, resulting in the dispersal of the gases and rendering the planet atmosphere-less until the outgassing cycle repeats.

Diverging from most planets, the atmosphere of 55 Cancri e is inherently unstable. The outgassing process attempts to replenish the atmosphere, while the star’s extreme radiation and solar wind conspire to disperse it. The imbalance between these two processes leads to the intermittent presence and absence of an atmosphere on the planet, which, according to the researchers, can account for the peculiar transit signals. During its atmosphere-less “bald” phase, no visible light is observed from the planet’s atmosphere, as it is nonexistent, but the planet’s hot surface still emits infrared light. When the atmosphere reappears, both the visible light and the radiation from the surface contribute to the transit signal.

While this is merely a hypothesis, the JWST presents an opportunity to test it by measuring the pressure and temperature of the planet’s atmosphere, potentially confirming its continuous existence.

This article is republished from LiveScience under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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