Water on distant planet detected by James Webb telescope, NASA

WASHINGTON: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has detected in the atmosphere of a hot, bloated gas giant planet orbiting a Sun-like star a thousand light-years away, traces of water along with evidence of clouds and fog, according to the US space agency.

According to NASA, the observation is the most detailed of its kind to date, demonstrating Webb's unprecedented ability to analyze the distant atmosphere. WASP-96 b is one of more than 5,000 confirmed exoplanets in the Milky Way.

In a statement it said that the planet is located at a distance of about 1,150 light-years away in the southern-sky constellation Phoenix. They added that it represents a type of gas giant that has no direct analogue in our solar system.

At less than half the mass of Jupiter and 1.2 times the diameter, WASP-96 b is far puffier than any planet orbiting our Sun. At temperatures above 538°C, it is significantly hotter.

Source-PTI