Chapter 1
The impossible atmosphere of TOI-561 b
Chapter 2
Sunscreen made of sand
Chapter 3
The ocean of fire
Chapter 4
The detective work of Webb
Ch 1 · The impossible atmosphere of TOI-561 b
play_review Located 280 light-years away, this rocky super-Earth challenges the belief that extreme stellar radiation strips atmospheres over billions of years.
Quiz
How long does it take the exoplanet TOI-561 b to complete a full orbit around its host star?
play_review TOI-561 b either reflects its star's energy or moves heat to its nightside
Quiz
Which space telescope provided the crucial infrared data showing TOI-561 b's unexpected dayside temperature?
Quiz
What did astronomers notice about the dayside temperature of TOI-561 b that surprised them?
Fun Fact
Cosmic speed limits: TOI-561 b completes a full year in just 10.5 hours, meaning you would celebrate over 800 birthdays every single Earth year!
BETA
play_review Sort the falling mineral crystals to figure out how magma clouds protect the lava planet.
Quiz
According to standard astronomical theories, what should have happened to TOI-561 b's atmosphere over billions of years?
Quiz
What does the presence of an atmosphere on TOI-561 b suggest to planetary scientists?
Glossary
atmosphere (noun)
The envelope of gases surrounding a planet or other celestial body. JWST observations revealed that the scorched, fast-orbiting rocky world TOI-561 b unexpectedly retains a thick atmosphere.
The envelope of gases surrounding a planet or other celestial body. JWST observations revealed that the scorched, fast-orbiting rocky world TOI-561 b unexpectedly retains a thick atmosphere.
play_review The nearby super-Earth planet TOI-561 b orbits in our cosmic neighborhood.
play_review Super-Earth TOI-561 b
Sunscreen of stone, sunscreen of stone / Shields the boiling ground!