Webb Telescope spots “impossible” atmosphere on ancient super Earth

Webb Telescope spots “impossible” atmosphere on ancient super Earth A scorching “lava world” once thought barren may actually be wrapped in a thick, mysterious atmosphere.

• Date:
• March 22, 2026
• Source:
• Carnegie Institution for Science
• Summary:
• Astronomers have uncovered surprising evidence of a thick atmosphere surrounding TOI-561 b, a scorching, fast-orbiting rocky planet once thought too extreme to hold onto any gas. Using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, researchers found the...