Exoplanet WD 1856 b (Artist’s Concept)

Exoplanet WD 1856 b (Artist’s Concept)

· NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI

Exoplanet WD 1856 b, shown in this artist’s concept, is a gas giant that survived the death of its star. It now orbits a white dwarf at a distance 50 times closer than Earth orbits the Sun. Observations by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope not only determined the planet’s temperature but also detected molecules in its atmosphere. The former measurement provides evidence that WD 1856 b migrated to its current location billions of years after its star became a white dwarf.