JWST Data Reveals Deformed Atmospheres of Hot Jupiter Exoplanets

Astronomers have utilized a novel analytical method, "transmission strings," with James Webb Space Telescope data to map the asymmetrical atmospheric contours of an exoplanet for the first time. This breakthrough, published in Nature Astronomy by teams including Cornell and Bristol universities, focused on WASP-17b, a 'hot Jupiter,' showing its atmosphere is distorted by extreme winds and temperature differences.