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Webb telescope captures its first direct images of carbon dioxide outside solar system

The James Webb Space Telescope has captured its first direct images of carbon dioxide in a planet outside the solar system. The observations suggest that four giant planets formed like Jupiter and Saturn by slowly building solid cores, providing strong evidence for core accretion as their formation model.

SourceJohns Hopkins University·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·TypeObservational study·DateMar 17, 2025

Giant planets cast a deadly pall

New studies show that giant gas planets in nearby star systems can prevent life on smaller, rocky planet neighbors by kicking them out of orbit and wreaking havoc on their climates. Researchers found that four giant planets in the HD 141399 system are likely to destroy the chances for life on Earth-like planets.

SourceUniversity of California - Riverside·JournalThe Astronomical Journal·DateOct 31, 2023

The planet that could end life on Earth

A recent experiment by UC Riverside astrophysicist Stephen Kane demonstrates that a terrestrial planet in this location would have disastrous effects on the solar system. The simulation found that such a planet could destabilize Earth's orbit, making it far less habitable and potentially ejecting Mercury and Venus from the solar system.

SourceUniversity of California - Riverside·JournalThe Planetary Science Journal·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateMar 7, 2023