The JWST weather report from the isolated exoplanet analog SIMP 0136+0933: pressure-dependent variability driven by multiple mechanisms
OA Version
Citation
A.M. McCarthy, J.M. Vos, P.S. Muirhead, B.A. Biller, C.V. Morley, J. Faherty, B. Burningham, E. Calamari, N.B. Cowan, K.L. Cruz, E. Gonzales, M.A. Limbach, P. Liu, E. Nasedkin, G. Suárez, X. Tan, C. O’Toole, C. Visscher, N. Whiteford, Y. Zhou. 2025. "The JWST Weather Report from the Isolated Exoplanet Analog SIMP 0136+0933: Pressure-dependent Variability Driven by Multiple Mechanisms" Astrophysical Journal Letters, Volume 981, Issue 2, pp.L22-L22. https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ad9eaf
Abstract
Isolated planetary-mass objects share their mass range with planets but do not orbit a star. They lack the necessary mass to support fusion in their cores and thermally radiate their heat from formation as they cool, primarily at infrared wavelengths. Many isolated planetary-mass objects show variations in their infrared brightness consistent with nonuniform atmospheric features modulated by their rotation. SIMP J013656.5+093347.3 is a rapidly rotating isolated planetary-mass object, and previous infrared monitoring suggests complex atmospheric features rotating in and out of view. The physical nature of these features is not well understood, with clouds, temperature variations, thermochemical instabilities, and infrared-emitting aurora all proposed as contributing mechanisms. Here we report JWST time-resolved low-resolution spectroscopy from 0.8 to 11 μm of SIMP J013656.5+093347.3, which supports the presence of three specific features in the atmosphere: clouds, hot spots, and changing carbon chemistry. We show that no single mechanism can explain the variations in the time-resolved spectra. When combined with previous studies of this object indicating patchy clouds and aurorae, these measurements reveal the rich complexity of the atmosphere of SIMP J013656.5+093347.3. Gas giant planets in the solar system, specifically Jupiter and Saturn, also have multiple cloud layers and high-altitude hot spots, suggesting these phenomena are also present in worlds both within and beyond our solar system.
Description
License
© 2025. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society. Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.