JWST finds atmosphere on coldest lava exoplanet HD 3167 b

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope found evidence of an atmosphere on the lava exoplanet HD 3167 b, 154 light-years from Earth. The planet has 1.6 Earth radii and 4.8 Earth masses and orbits its K-type star in 0.96 Earth days, making it the coldest lava world yet with a possible atmosphere.

• HD 3167 b lies 154 light-years away and orbits its star in 0.96 Earth days
• Radius is 1.6 and mass 4.8 times Earth's; the planet is tidally locked
• Secondary eclipse data suggest heat is redistributed to the night side
• Colder lava worlds were previously thought to be bare rocks without atmospheres