HD 80606b is renowned for its extreme orbit, making it one of the most fascinating exoplanets discovered so far. The James Webb Space Telescope, operated by NASA, ESA, and CSA, captured an incredible moment of the planet as it flared up while approaching its star.
Artist’s impression of the hot Jupiter exoplanet HD 80606b. Image credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/Joseph Olmsted, STScI.
First detected in April 2001, HD 80606b is a highly eccentric exoplanet with a mass approximately four times that of Jupiter.
This alien world resides around 217 light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major.
Classified as a hot Jupiter, it completes an orbit around its parent star HD 80606 approximately every 111 days.
“Hot Jupiters are recognized as some of the most extreme exoplanets, and HD 80606b is certainly one of the most extreme among them,” stated Dr. Tiffany Kataria, an astronomer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
“While we typically imagine hot Jupiters as gas giants close to their stars, HD 80606b’s eccentric orbit presents a unique case.”
As HD 80606b nears its star, its surface temperature skyrockets by around 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Prior studies have indicated that these rapid temperature variations can initiate chemical reactions and alter the exoplanet’s cloud formations in real-time.
Due to its dynamic conditions, astronomers consider HD 80606b an optimal target for observing such changes using Webb’s advanced instruments.
“Studying planets like HD 80606b proves efficient since their unusual orbits cause corresponding fluctuations in temperature and chemical composition. This allows us to gather valuable data in just a few hours under varying conditions, which can then be extrapolated to other hot Jupiters and more typical exoplanets,” said Dr. Laura Mayorga from Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.
The researchers utilized Webb’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) to monitor HD 80606b during its orbital phases: before, during, and after its closest approach to the star.
At Periastron, the planet also passed behind the star from Webb’s viewpoint, a phenomenon colloquially known as a secondary solar eclipse.
“Dr. Webb revealed that the extent of global warming is even more pronounced than what we observed with Spitzer,” Dr. Kataria remarked.
Scientists will present their findings on June 16th at the 248th American Astronomical Society (AAS) General Meeting in Pasadena, California.
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Tiffany Kataria et al. 2026. Flash heating of burnt planets: Time-resolved characterization of HD 80606b using JWST/MIRI. AAS248 Abstract #426
Source: www.sci.news
