IIT Kanpur Prof Part of Team Discovering Nearby "Super-Jupiter" Using James Webb Space Telescope

The planet, named Epsilon Indi Ab (Eps Ind Ab), is classified as a 'super-Jupiter' due to its mass exceeding that of Jupiter by at least six times, making it significantly larger than any planet in our solar system.

The planet, named Epsilon Indi Ab (Eps Ind Ab), is classified as a 'super-Jupiter' due to its mass exceeding that of Jupiter by at least six times, making it significantly larger than any planet in our solar system.

This discovery, based on a question raised in the Rajya Sabha, marks the first-ever mature exoplanet (a planet beyond our solar system) to be discovered using direct imaging techniques. The details of this discovery have been published in the prestigious multidisciplinary science journal, Nature.

Using the James Webb Space Telescope's (JWST) Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI), the team directly imaged the exoplanet orbiting the K5V-type star Epsilon Indi A (also known as HD 209100 or HIP 108870). Direct imaging of a nearby mature exoplanet is a significant milestone in space exploration. Unlike indirect methods that infer a planet's existence, direct imaging allows astronomers to observe the exoplanet itself. This breakthrough highlights the incredible capabilities of the JWST with its high sensitivity, infrared capabilities, and advanced imaging techniques.

Key Highlights

Distance and Orbit: The newly discovered planet is located 12 light-years away from Earth and orbits its star at a distance 28 times greater than the distance between Earth and the Sun. The planet has a cold temperature of about -1°C (30°F).

Direct Imaging Technique: The JWST's MIRI camera, equipped with a coronagraph to block starlight, enabled the detection of the faint planet by creating an artificial eclipse. This technique allows for the observation of faint signals around bright objects.

Scientific Impact: "This discovery is a major milestone in exoplanet research and sets the stage for future discoveries," said Prof. Manindra Agrawal, Director of IIT Kanpur. "Being able to directly image a planet close to us provides an unprecedented opportunity for in-depth study."

Dr. Prashant Pathak, a key member of the research team, explained, "This discovery gives us a chance to learn more about planets that are very different from our own. The planet’s atmosphere has an unusual composition indicating a high metal content and a different carbon-to-oxygen ratio than we see in our solar system. This opens up fascinating questions about its formation and evolution."

Previous attempts to study Eps Ind Ab using radial velocity measurements were unsuccessful due to the planet's long orbital period of around 200 years. The team chose a direct imaging approach instead, using JWST's MIRI camera to effectively block the overwhelming brightness of the host star.

The research team includes experts from renowned institutions worldwide, such as the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany, the Space Telescope Science Institute in the USA, and several others.

Future Goals:

The next steps involve obtaining spectra to provide a detailed fingerprint of the planet’s climatology and chemical composition. "In the long run, we hope to observe other nearby planetary systems to hunt for cold gas giants that may have escaped detection," said Thomas Henning, Emeritus Director at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy.

This discovery underscores the global contributions of IIT Kanpur in advancing our understanding of space, highlighting the collaborative efforts in the quest to uncover the mysteries of planetary systems beyond our own.

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