Nothing is said in science. With this premise, which states that any fact, hypothesis or theory can change from one moment to the next, experts work daily to understand the simple fact of our existence: Where do we come from and where are we going.
Exoplanets, being such distant elements that it is impossible to go to for now, become a reservoir of new discoveries.
Before delving into the exoplanet we are going to talk about, it is necessary to know the history of the worlds that are outside our solar system. The first one was discovered in the year 1995, not long ago. Now, almost three decades later, there are more than 5,000 detected and counting.
However, since nothing is said in science, it is very far from understanding the patterns and behaviors of what happens even in the Milky Way, galaxy to which we belong. In these 28 years of studies on exoplanets, scientists have found planets similar to those that orbit our solar system.
There are rocky ones, like the earth and mars; but there are also gas giants like Jupiter or Saturn. According to the estimates of the old space observatories such as Hubble or findings of the system for tracking extrasolar worlds, they have also been found. ice giants or celestial bodies that are oceanic. Likewise, there are dwarfs and some strangers that do not orbit any massive stars.
The Corgi of Exoplanets: Methane Mystery on HAT-P-18b
Astronomers are getting a first look at the quirks of individual exoplanets with JWST. For instance, a recent study reveals that while HAT-P-18b may not have much methane, it does have a tiny tail.
https://t.co/Kr7G9euYtu pic.twitter.com/J4BfVKGVYc— AAS Nova (@AASNova) January 20, 2023
An exoplanet that rethinks theories
With all this information in the folder, scientists are dedicated to observing and classifying the types of exoplanets that are found along the way. However, with the advanced technology of James Webb Space Telescope and their impressive precision take advantage of taking a look at the regions that they had already seen with other instruments.
This is how a new look at HAT-P-18ban exoplanet discovered in 2010. It orbits a very old massive star that is located in the constellation of Hercules, about 530 light years away from Earth.
Its size is similar to Jupiter and it is considered a gas giant. With the James Webb it was detected that in its orbital transit it leaves a luminous trail that integrates a weak helium tail.
But what really puzzled a scientific team is the absence of methane in its composition despite its temperature. HAT-P-18b registers indicators that place it at around 500ºC.
This means that it cannot be classified among the “hot” worlds, which when they exceed 700ºC should not have methane.
But the ones below it should register this element. So, in the case of HAT-P-18b, in addition to the faint trail of helium, there is also no methane, and scientists are rethinking the theories surrounding these types of worlds that lie on the outskirts of our solar system.
A simple element is capable of influencing the formation of planetary systems and coexistence with massive stars and others worlds.
