James Webb Space Telescope Reveals Surprising Secrets of Mini-Neptune Beyond Our Solar System

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has observed the mini-Neptune exoplanet GJ 1214 b, which is about eight times more massive than Earth and has a thick, steamy atmosphere. The JWST's observations created a heat map of the planet that showed both day and night sides, illuminating more details of its atmosphere. The planet's atmosphere is probably escaping hydrodynamically, indicating that it has undergone significant evolution during its history. The findings suggest that GJ 1214 b formed further from its star than it did now, and then something happened to send it inward, closer to the red dwarf it orbits.