Astronomers Take First Images Of Strangely Inflated And Asymmetrical Planet

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Artist⁘s illustration of the exoplanet WASP-107b based on transit observations from NASA⁘s James Webb Space Telescope as well as other space- and ground-based telescopes, led by Matthew Murphy of the University of Arizona and a team of researchers around the world. (Credit: Rachel Amaro/University of Arizona)

TUCSON, Ariz. ⁘ All planets are round, but they are not all perfectly symmetrical. Thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists have captured the first images of a planet in outer space with asymmetric edges in its atmosphere. Moreover, this stunning contrast takes place on an exoplanet where one side permanently faces its sun.

Published in the journal Nature Astronomy , scientists from the University of Arizona say this east-west asymmetry means there are differences in atmospheric conditions between the two hemispheres of this strange new world. According to the authors, the asymmetry results from the position of the exoplanet in relation to the star it orbits.

Study authors explain that the planet is ⁘tidally locked⁘ — meaning the same side always faces the star and other side stays in darkness. The differences in gases, temperature, and cloud patterns for each side give scientists a unique opportunity to study how planets change when they get different amounts of sunlight. 

Transit refers to a planet moving in front of its sun, allowing astronomers here on Earth to see these disruptions and learn more about the planets orbiting distant stars.

⁘We don't have anything like it in our own solar system. It is unique, even among the exoplanet population,⁘ Murphy adds.