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For the first time in history, the James Webb Space Telescope directly photographed the surface of an exoplanet instead of just probing its atmosphere. The target was LHS 3844 b, a rocky super-Earth 48.5 light-years away, in the study published on May 4, 2026, in the journal Nature Astronomy.
According to Space.com, the international team led by Sebastian Zieba (Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian) and Laura Kreidberg (director of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy) used three secondary eclipses captured in 2023 and 2024 to obtain the thermal spectrum of the illuminated hemisphere.
The result is dramatic: a planet without an atmosphere, a hot side at almost 1,000 Kelvin, a dark, basaltic and olivine-rich surface, similar to Mercury or the Moon. In parallel, it is the first time that the geology of an exoplanet has been described directly, without needing to infer from an atmospheric model.
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The numbers from the study of LHS 3844 b’s surface, according to NASA, MPIA, and Nature Astronomy, tell the story in five points:
- 48.5 light-years from Earth, in the constellation Indus, orbiting a red dwarf
- 1.3 Earth radii and 2.3 Earth masses, a typical rocky super-Earth
- 11 hours orbital period, tidally locked planet with a permanent hot side
- 1,000 Kelvin on the day hemisphere, a temperature hot enough to melt lead
- 5 to 12 microns of thermal spectrum captured by JWST’s MIRI instrument
How JWST captured the surface of LHS 3844 b without needing an atmosphere
The James Webb’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) operates in the mid-infrared. According to NASA, this range is ideal for capturing the thermal radiation that hot rocks emit even without an surrounding atmosphere.
In parallel, the technique used is called “secondary eclipse spectroscopy.” When the planet passes behind the star (secondary eclipse), the total brightness of the system drops. The difference between the brightness with and without the planet then gives the spectrum emitted only by the planetary surface.
The team captured three eclipses between 2023 and 2024. In parallel, these three events combined provided sufficient spectral resolution to distinguish distinct mineral compositions in the 5 to 12 micron spectrum.
The result showed spectral lines consistent with basalt and olivine, with no traces of CO₂, SO₂, or other volatile gases. Therefore, the team ruled out a dense atmosphere, and direct reading of the surface became possible.
According to Sebastian Zieba, the finding is “a completely new window into studying rocky planets.” Before JWST, rocky exoplanets could only be characterized via mass, radius, and average density, without geological detail.
Why LHS 3844 b turned into Mercury in a cosmic oven
The LHS 3844 system orbits a red dwarf star, a type M star with 15% of the Sun’s mass and 19% of its radius. According to the NASA Exoplanet Catalog, the planet orbits at just 0.00624 astronomical units, three stellar diameters above the star’s surface.
In parallel, this extreme proximity produces tidal locking: the same side of the planet always faces the star. Therefore, there is a permanent day side and a permanent night side, without alternating day and night.
The day side heats up to 800 or 1,000 Kelvin, according to the study. The night side, without an atmosphere to distribute heat, remains drastically colder. In parallel, this enormous thermal difference hinders any stable liquid chemistry.
According to the team, the dark surface suggests two hypotheses. In parallel, it could be fresh basalt from recent volcanism, or ancient rock aged by billions of years of exposure to stellar radiation and micrometeorite impacts.
The absence of volcanic gases like SO₂ or CO₂ weighs against active volcanism. Therefore, the most probable hypothesis is space weathering: ancient rock darkened by prolonged exposure, the same process that darkened the Moon and Mercury.
What changes in the search for habitable planets
LHS 3844 b is neither habitable nor a candidate for life. In parallel, it serves as a critical reference: even M dwarf stars, the most common in the galaxy, retain rocky planets without atmospheres when they are too close.
According to comparative analysis, exoplanets TRAPPIST-1 b and c, previously observed by JWST, showed a similar thermal pattern. In parallel, both also appear to have lost their atmospheres due to intense radiation from the host star.
K2-18 b, observed by JWST in 2023, showed the opposite: the presence of carbon-containing molecules in the atmospheric spectrum, suggesting a possible thick atmosphere. Therefore, the gallery of exoplanets remains diverse, with cases of atmospheric retention and loss.
TRAPPIST-1 e, further from its star, remains the best candidate for habitability in the temperate zone of an M dwarf. In parallel, JWST observations directed at it are ongoing.
This effort to map which planets retain atmospheres defines the targets for the next decade. According to Laura Kreidberg, “now we can look at the rock itself, not just the gas,” expanding the range of geological inference.
Brazil within the global exoplanet map
Brazil has direct participation in some of the main international astronomy consortia. According to IAG-USP, the country is a partner in the SOAR telescope in Chile, with guaranteed observation time and shared infrastructure.
In parallel, the LSST/Vera Rubin Observatory also has Brazilian participation via 170 professionals distributed across 26 institutions. This effort integrates Brazil into the largest sky survey to date.
According to INPE and USP, the country also participates in the SPARC4 program of the Pico dos Dias telescope, in Minas Gerais, which monitors exoplanets in collaboration with NASA.
In parallel, the CTA (Cherenkov Telescope Array) has a Brazilian node planned in the international gamma-ray detection network. This project does not directly focus on exoplanets but builds national technical capacity in high-energy astrophysics.
According to CPG’s coverage of advanced archaeology using cosmic particle scanning, the pattern of indirect detection via radiation has broad application. In parallel, JWST shows how this principle extends to mapping planetary surfaces light-years away.
Next JWST targets and the future of surface mapping
According to the team, the method applied to LHS 3844 b will be replicated on other rocky exoplanets near M dwarf stars. In parallel, priority targets include GJ 1214 b, GJ 486 b, and the inner planets of the TRAPPIST-1 system.
JWST has about 9 years of operational fuel remaining, according to NASA estimates. Therefore, the observation schedule is being optimized to extract maximum scientific return in each cycle.
The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), a successor telescope planned for the 2040s, will take on the role of searching for atmospheres on exoplanets up to 50 light-years away. In parallel, it combines JWST’s gains with coronagraph technology to suppress starlight.
According to NASA, the general strategy is progressive screening. First, identify rocky planets. Then, measure if they retain an atmosphere. Finally, search for biosignatures in the atmospheres that survive.
LHS 3844 b is an important example of the second stage, with a clear answer: bare rock, no atmosphere, no complex chemistry. In parallel, this “no” is as informative as a “yes” in guiding where the search should focus.
It should be noted, however, that the interpretation of the basaltic surface versus space weathering depends on spectral models still being refined. The article will be updated as new JWST data on LHS 3844 b and similar exoplanets are published.
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