Hot Gas-Giant Exoplanet WASP-43 b (Temperature Maps)
This is a temperature map of the exoplanet WASP-43 b, made using MIRI on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. The planet is too close to its star to be seen individually, but its brightness was calculated by measuring the brightness of the star-planet system as a whole. WASP-43 b is tidally locked and has an average temperature of 2,280°F (1,250°C) on the dayside and 1,115°F (600°C) on the nightside. The temperature map shows that the nightside is covered in thick, high clouds, which make it appear cooler than it would if there were no clouds.