Sand…coarse, rough, gets everywhere. We may have found it on VHS 1256 b, a Tatooine-like world orbiting twin suns. Among other molecules, Webb detected silicate dust grains of varying sizes in its atmosphere. The larger grains may be like very hot, small sand particles.

This spectrum is a bit like a barcode of Webb data. Elements and molecules present in the planet's atmosphere have signatures which scientists can read. Besides silicate clouds, this graph reveals signatures of water, carbon monoxide, methane and more.

VHS 1256 b is about 40 light-years away and completes an orbit around its two stars every 10,000 (Earth) years. Despite the planet being 4 times farther from its stars than Pluto is from our Sun, the upper part of its atmosphere gets as hot as 1,500 degrees F (830 degrees C).

The planet’s churning atmosphere constantly brings hotter material up and pushes colder material down over its 22-hour day, resulting in extremely dramatic brightness changes. In fact, VHS 1256 b is the most variable planetary-mass object known to date!

No other telescope has ever identified so many features at once for a single target. With just a few hours of observations, Webb's provided enough for astronomers to keep learning about VHS 1256 b in the coming months and even years. Learn more: www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2023/nasa-s-webb-spots-swirl...

Credits: Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, J. Olmsted (STScI); Science: Brittany Miles (University of Arizona), Sasha Hinkley (University of Exeter), Beth Biller (University of Edinburgh), Andrew Skemer (University of California, Santa Cruz)