Astronomers Discover Trace Hydrogen Sulfide on Exoplanet HD189733b with James Webb Telescope

TapTechNews July 10th news, astronomers with the help of the James Webb Space Telescope, found new evidence suggesting that the exoplanet HD189733b contains trace amounts of hydrogen sulfide, and this molecule emits the smell of rotten eggs.

TapTechNews note: HD189733b is located in the direction north of the constellation Vulpecula in the northern celestial hemisphere, about 64 light-years away from the Earth. This planet is a blue gaseous giant planet with a relatively close orbital distance from the main star in its system and a very high surface temperature.

Astrophysicist Guangwei Fu (transliteration) from Johns Hopkins University explained:

Like carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and phosphate, sulfur is an important element for building more complex molecules. Scientists need to conduct more studies on it [HD189733b] to fully understand how planets form and what they are composed of.

HD189733b had been previously speculated to have hydrogen sulfide, but it has only now been confirmed. The astrophysicist said that due to the extreme high temperature (926.7 degrees Celsius) of this exoplanet, it is not expected to find traces of life on this planet, but it can help astronomers gain a deeper understanding of how different types of planets form.