The James Webb Space Telescope has captured its first direct images of carbon dioxide in a planet outside the solar system in HR 8799, a multiplanet system 130 light-years away that has long been a key target for planet formation studies.

This discovery by Webb provides strong evidence that the giant planets in HR 8799 formed through core accretion, much like Jupiter, Saturn.

New James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) images show the first carbon dioxide-containing planet discovered outside of Earth’s solar system.

The James Webb Space Telescope has captured its first direct images of carbon dioxide in a planet outside the solar system in HR 8799, a multiplanet system 130 light-years away that has long been a key target for planet formation studies.