Hydrogen Sulfide found outside our solar system for first time. Where has it been discovered and how important is it?

Scientists working with the James Webb Space Telescope were shocked when they discovered hydrogen sulfide on the exoplanet known as HD 189733b. The colorless gas with a strong sulfuric stench has never been spotted beyond our solar system. The discovery helped scientists know more about the composition of exoplanets. Its findings have been reported in 'Nature' magazine, reports CNN. It is interesting to note that HD 189733b has a chemical composition similar to Jupiter, the biggest planet in our solar system. The exoplanet is situated at 64 light years from the Earth and it is the only body near Jupiter that we can study.

Exoplanet larger than Jupiter

Guangwei Fu, an astrophysicist at Johns Hopkins University, told CNN that HD 189733 b is not only a gas giant planet, it is a ‘giant’ in the field of exoplanets because it is one of the first transiting exoplanets ever discovered. This exoplanet is about 10% larger than Jupiter, but much hotter. It takes about two Earth days to complete a single orbit around its star.

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Hydrogen sulfide outside solar system

Talking about the presence of hydrogen sulfide on HD 189733 b, Fu said that this gas is one of the main reservoirs of sulfur within planetary atmospheres. He also said that it was for the first time that hydrogen sulfide was detected on an exoplanet. He added that it opened a new window into studying exoplanet atmospheric sulfur chemistry. This will also help us to understand what exoplanets are made of and how they came to be.

Building blocks of life

Fu said that besides, hydrogen sulfide, water, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide were also found in the planet’s atmosphere. He said further that life is not expected on this exoplanet due to very high temperature, but the study of a building block like sulfur on it can shed light on planet formation. He also said that since sulfur is a vital element for building more complex molecules like carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and phosphate, it should be studied to understand how planets were made.

Astronomers believe that ice, metals, and rocks, rather than hydrogen and helium were important components of planets like Neptune and Uranus. However, the discovery of hydrogen sulfide on an exoplanet will change many concepts.

FAQs:

Where has hydrogen sulfide been found outside our solar system?
Scientists working with the James Webb Space Telescope have found hydrogen sulfide on an exoplanet known as HD 189733b. It is near Jupiter and about 64 light years from the Earth. It is the first time that this gas has been found outside our solar system.

What is HD 189733b?
HD 189733b is an exoplanet, situated 64 light years from the Earth. It is near Jupiter, and much hotter compared to this planet.