What Is Newly Discovered Super Jupiter?

 Our Universe is filled with innumerable surprises and the Super Jupiter is just one of them

Human curiosity has led to some exciting discoveries. Now, armed with advanced technology tools, we are constantly improving our knowledge of the universe. The latest finding that excites astronomy buffs is the discovery of a Super Jupiter closest to planet Earth.

What is Super Jupiter discovered by the James Webb Telescope?

Using NASA's James Webb Telescope, an international team comprising astronomers has managed to identify an exoplanet named Epsilon Indi Ab. While the planet is a gaseous planet like Jupiter in our solar system, Epsilon Indi Ab is much larger in size. This Super Jupiter orbits the Epsilon Indi A (Eps Ind A), categorized as K-Type star. This star is largely the same size as our own sun. But one key difference is that it is cooler than our sun.

Discovery of the exoplanet Super Jupiter named Epsilon Indi Ab is important since it is quite similar to our Jupiter. It is a little warmer in comparison to other super Jupiter exoplanets discovered in the past. The Super Jupiter discovered by the James Webb Telescope is around 12 light-years from Earth. That is roughly 113.5 trillion kilometers.

How big is Super Jupiter compared to the Sun?

Any gas giant exoplanet that is bigger than our own Jupiter is categorized as a Super Jupiter. It is an easy way to understand what the planet signifies. While sizes of Super Jupiter exoplanets vary, none of them have exceeded the size of up to 80 Jupiter masses. The size is limited because gravitational forces compress the planet as the size increases. In the case of the Super Jupiter discovered by James Webb Telescope, the Epsilon Indi Ab exoplanet has a mass of 3.25 times that of Jupiter. It has a radius of 1.17 times that of Jupiter.

While the Super Jupiter is quite big, it is still quite small compared to our Sun. It is estimated that our Sun can accommodate around 1,000 Jupiter sized planets. Even if the Super Jupiter Epsilon Indi Ab is bigger than our own Jupiter, it will take hundreds of them to match the size of the Sun. The Super Jupiter will also be smaller than its own sun that it is orbiting.

What is the composition of Super Jupiter?

As the Super Jupiter Epsilon Indi Ab is located quite far, scientists can only take a guess about the chemical composition of the exoplanet. The Super Jupiter has been discovered using the coronagraph of the Mid-Infrared instrument installed on the James Webb Telescope. As per estimates, there is an abundance of methane, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide on the planet. Data also suggests that the Super Jupiter may have an extremely cloudy atmosphere. In comparison, the Jupiter in our solar system comprises primarily Hydrogen and Helium.

Scientists will continue to study Super Jupiter exoplanets in more detail in the future. One of the upcoming projects is the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. This will allow scientists to actually take photographs of Super Jupiter exoplanets. Overall, it will improve our understanding of other worlds that are similar to our planet and solar system.