Webb’s latest discovery has opened a thrilling new chapter in exoplanet research by capturing the first-ever direct images of carbon dioxide in a distant planet’s atmosphere. This breakthrough not only confirms that the massive planets of HR 8799 likely formed through core accretion,

By spotting these strong carbon dioxide features, we have shown there is a sizable fraction of heavier elements, like carbon, oxygen, and iron, in these planets’ atmospheres,” said William Balmer, of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.