James Webb Space Telescope Spots an Exoplanet Losing Its Atmosphere in a Huge Helium Stream
Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have observed a massive helium cloud escaping from the super-puff exoplanet WASP-107b, marking the first direct detection of such atmospheric loss. Webb’s infrared data reveal an enormous exosphere nearly ten times the planet’s radius, with helium streaming both ahead of and behind the planet in its orbit. The findings show how extreme stellar radiation strips away WASP-107b’s outer layers, offering new insight into how low-density gas giants evolve under intense heat.
