This artist’s concept shows what the exoplanet WASP-107 b could look like based on recent data gathered by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, along with previous observations from Hubble and other space- and ground-based telescopes.
WASP-107 b is a “warm Neptune” exoplanet orbiting a relatively small and cool star approximately 210 light-years from Earth, in the constellation Virgo. The planet is about 80% the size of Jupiter in terms of volume, but has a mass less than 10% of Jupiter, making it one of the least dense exoplanets known.
WASP-107 b orbits its star at a distance of about 5 million miles (0.055 astronomical units, or AU), completing one circuit in 5.72 days. The planet is tidally locked: It rotates at the same rate that it orbits the star, which means that one side is permanently lit, with the other in continuous darkness, with no day-night cycle. The orbit of WASP-107 b is slightly elliptical, which means that the gravitational pull between the star and planet changes continuously as the planet moves toward and away from the star during its orbit.
Observations of 0.8- to 12-micron infrared light captured by Hubble’s WFC3 (Wide Field Camera 3), and Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera), NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph), and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument), suggest that the planet has a relatively large core surrounded by a relatively small mass of hydrogen and helium gas, which has been inflated due to tidal heating of the interior.
WASP-107 b has not been directly imaged by any telescope.
Credits
Artwork
NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI)
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | WASP-107 b |
| Object Description | Warm Neptune Exoplanet |
| R.A. Position | 12h33m32.74s |
| Dec. Position | -10d08m46.37s |
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Distance | 210 light-years |
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | A name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object. |
| Object Description | The type of astronomical object. |
| R.A. Position | Right ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Dec. Position | Declination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position. |
| Constellation | One of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears. |
| Distance | The physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs. |
| Dimensions | The physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky. |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description |
|
| Instrument | The science instrument used to produce the data. |
| Exposure Dates | The date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time. |
| Filters | The camera filters that were used in the science observations. |
| About The Image | |
| Image Credit | The primary individuals and institutions responsible for the content. |
| Publication Date | The date and time the release content became public. |
| Color Info | A brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented. |
| Orientation | The rotation of the image on the sky with respect to the north pole of the celestial sphere. |
