James Webb reveals a strange bulge in an alien planet's atmosphere

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered that a distant alien planet's atmosphere is surprisingly lopsided. Located 1,300 light-years away, the scorching gas giant WASP-17b experiences powerful winds that redistribute heat, causing one side of its atmosphere to bulge outward. A groundbreaking new mapping technique revealed these hidden distortions, confirming predictions about how extreme temperatures and winds shape alien worlds.

Using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), researchers have discovered that the atmosphere of WASP-17b, a giant planet roughly 1,300 light-years from Earth, extends farther outward on one side than the other. Although its overall outline remains... [6002 chars]