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The light spectrum shows the signatures of the various molecules discovered in the planet's atmosphere. Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, J. Olmsted (STScI); Science: Brittany Miles (University of Arizona), Sasha Hinkley (University of Exeter), Beth Biller (University of Edinburgh), Andrew Skemer (University of California, Santa Cruz) The team used two instruments known as spectrographs aboard the James Webb Space Telescope, one on its Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) and another on its Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), to observe a vast section of near- to mid-infrared light emitted by planet VHS 1256 b. Plotting the light on the spectrum, the researchers identified the signatures of silicate clouds, water, methane and carbon monoxide. They also found evidence of carbon dioxide.