Astronomers re-examining targeted space data have uncovered an unsuspected giant exoplanet, designated Beta Pictoris d, situated 63 light-years from Earth. The unexpected discovery, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, originated from observations made using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). While utilizing Webb’s Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) to analyze the atmosphere of Beta Pictoris b, researchers led by Aidan Gibbs at the University of California, San Diego, detected distinct carbon monoxide absorption signatures where a uniform reflection spectrum was expected. Follow-up measurements via Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) confirmed water vapor and methane, verifying the presence of a distinct planetary body.
Simultaneously, an independent imaging study co-led by Ben Sutlieff of the University of Edinburgh and Markus Bonse of the European Southern Observatory corroborated the body’s existence using ground-based Very Large Telescope (VLT) observations and archival NIRCam data. Estimated at over two times Jupiter’s mass, Beta Pictoris d orbits roughly 30 astronomical units from its 23-million-year-old host star. Commenting on the multi-planet architecture, Gibbs stated: “This discovery adds another piece to an already fascinating planetary system”. The system is now only the second known to host at least three directly imaged planets.
