Webb image archive
Exoplanet WD 1856 b (Transmission Spectrum)
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope measured the constituents of exoplanet WD 1856 b as it passed in front of its star, finding signs of methane. WD 1856 b orbits a white dwarf...
- Date
- Jul 1, 2026
- Observatory
- James Webb Space Telescope
- Credit
- NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI
- Archive ID
- exoplanet-wd-1856-b-transmission-spectrum
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope measured the constituents of exoplanet WD 1856 b as it passed in front of its star, finding signs of methane. WD 1856 b orbits a white dwarf star the size of Earth. As a result, the planet blocks more than half of the star’s light. The red bands indicate where bumps in the spectrum show that this planet’s atmosphere contains methane.