# Atmosphere of lava planet: ‘A cloudy, reflective sunscreen’

Source: [EarthSky](https://earthsky.org/space/lava-planets-surprising-atmosphere-toi-561-b-super-earth/) · 2026-11-10 · Space
Page: https://themorning.science/story/atmosphere-of-lava-planet-a-cloudy-reflective-sunscreen-d38b62f39317d089
Kind: research · Impact: low

## In brief

- New observations from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope show again that the lava planet TOI-561 b has a dense atmosphere.
- The atmosphere is highly reflective, which suggests clouds or haze.
- EarthSky describes the atmosphere as a cloudy, reflective sunscreen.

## Why it matters

The result adds to evidence on whether lava-covered super-Earths can keep dense atmospheres, which bears on how scientists interpret atmospheres of rocky exoplanets.

## Timeline

- 2026-11-10: EarthSky reports new JWST observations showing a dense, highly reflective atmosphere on TOI-561 b

## Coverage

- [Atmosphere of lava planet: ‘A cloudy, reflective sunscreen’](https://earthsky.org/space/lava-planets-surprising-atmosphere-toi-561-b-super-earth/) — EarthSky, 2026-11-10

Tags: exoplanets, james webb space telescope, lava planets, planetary atmospheres, super-earths

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Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Science – https://themorning.science