JWST Archives

Transmission spectrum of LHS 1140 b. The two transit observations are color coded, i.e., blue for the G235H grating and green for the G395H grating. The models shown are randomly selected solutions from the posterior distributions of Scenario 4 (Table 4, corresponding to N2-H2O atmospheres with deep clouds). We have applied the best-fit offsets to the data. The offset between the two visits is ∼ 50 ppm, while the offset between the two detectors within each of the two visits is negligible (see Figure 4 and Table 5). -- astro-ph.EP

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, TRAPPIST-1, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

LHS 1140 b Is A Potentially Habitable Water World

by Keith CowingMarch 21, 2024March 21, 2024

LHS 1140 b is a small planet orbiting in the habitable zone of its M4.5V dwarf host. Recent mass and radius constraints have indicated that it has either a thick […]

Combined transmission spectrum LHS1140b obtained with NIRISS SOSS on December 1st and 26th 2023 overlaid with HST observations (solid grey points; Edwards et al. 2021). The orange 2-envelope is the best TLS model dominated by facula. The dashed line is the predicted GCM model of the mini-Neptune scenario of Cadieux et al. (2024); this model is excluded at more than 5  (Cadieux et al., in prep). -- astro-ph.EP

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, TRAPPIST-1

Do Temperate Rocky Planets Around M Dwarfs have an Atmosphere?

by Keith CowingMarch 20, 2024

Detecting an atmosphere on nearby temperate planets is one of the most important scientific objectives of the Webb mission, an endeavour in practice limited to a handful of well-characterized planets: […]

Astronomers identified icy compounds made of complex organic molecules like alcohol and likely acetic acid, using MIRI, which was managed through launch by JPL.

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Webb Space Telescope Finds Ethanol And Other Organic Molecules Surrounding Young Protostars

by Keith CowingMarch 13, 2024March 13, 2024

What do margaritas, vinegar, and ant stings have in common? They contain chemical ingredients that NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has identified surrounding two young protostars known as IRAS 2A […]

This image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) of star-forming region NGC 604 shows how stellar winds from bright, hot, young stars carve out cavities in surrounding gas and dust. NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

Astrochemistry: Peering Into The Tendrils Of NGC 604 With Webb Space Telescope

by Keith CowingMarch 12, 2024March 12, 2024

The formation of stars and the chaotic environments they inhabit is one of the most well-studied, but also mystery-shrouded, areas of cosmic investigation. The intricacies of these processes are now […]

Top left panel (a): Comparison of the UV absorption of indene with an elevated value at λ < 0.19 µm (“higher Cabs”; black long-dashed line) and that with the absorption at λ < 0.19 µm extrapolated from that at λ > 0.19 µm (“lower Cabs”; magenta dashed line). The UV absorption at λ > 0.19 µm for both cases is the same as Figure 1. Bottom left panel (b): Comparison of the MMP83 interstellar radiation field (red) with the radiation fields represented by different stellar effective temperatures (Teff = 40, 000 K: blue; Teff = 22, 000 K: cyan; and Teff = 8, 000 K: green). All the radiation intensities are normalized at λ = 0.2 µm. Right panel (c): Comparison of the model IR emission spectrum of indene in the diffuse ISM calculated with an elevated UV absorption at λ < 0.19 µm (dashed blue line) and that with the extrapolated UV absorption at λ < 0.19 µm (solid red line). -- astro-ph.GA

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Infrared Emission of Specific Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Molecules: Indene

by Keith CowingMarch 12, 2024March 12, 2024

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules have long been suggested to be present in the interstellar medium (ISM). Nevertheless, despite their expected ubiquity and sustained searching efforts, identifying specific interstellar PAH […]

Left panel (a): Comparison of the IR emission spectra of 1-CNN of a natural line width of γ = 30 cm−1 (red line) for each vibrational transition with that of γ = 10 cm−1 (blue line). The molecule is illuminated by the MMP83 (U = 1) interstellar radiation field. Right panel (b): Same as (a) but for a comparison of γ = 30 cm−1 (red line) with γ = 50 cm−1 (blue line). - astro-ph.GA

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report

Infrared Emission of Specific Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Molecules: Cyanonaphthalenes

by Keith CowingMarch 12, 2024March 12, 2024

The unidentified infrared emission (UIE) features at 3.3, 6.2, 7.7, 8.6, 11.3 and 12.7 micron are ubiquitously seen in a wide variety of astrophysical regions and commonly attributed to polycyclic […]

JWST transmission spectroscopy observations of WASP-39 b, obtained with the NIRISS (blue) and NIRSpec PRISM (pink) instruments. Also shown are the median retrieved spectral fit and corresponding 1-𝜎 contours obtained with the two free chemistry retrievals presented in section 3.2. We emphasise that the NIRISS datapoints have significant correlations, which are not conveyed by their representation as independent errorbars. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

VIRA: An Exoplanet Atmospheric Retrieval Framework for JWST Transmission Spectroscopy

by Keith CowingMarch 11, 2024March 11, 2024

JWST observations are leading to important new insights into exoplanetary atmospheres through transmission spectroscopy.

NIRCam images of PDS 70 obtained in the F187N (top row) and F480M (bottom row) filters using our iterative PCA algorithm. The second and third columns show the images obtained after subtraction of our outer disk model, and further subtraction of protoplanets b and c, respectively. Major and minor axes of the disk are indicated with solid and dashed lines, respectively, in the first column. Dashed circles indicate the predicted location for protoplanets b and c based on the orbital fits in Wang et al. (2021b), and for candidate d based on the orbit suggested in M19. The astrometric measurements for d (blue dots) are compared to our new estimated astrometry (solid circle) in panel c. Units are MJy sr−1. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

MINDS: JWST/NIRCam Imaging Of The Protoplanetary Disk PDS 70

by Keith CowingMarch 11, 2024March 11, 2024

Context. Two protoplanets have recently been discovered within the PDS 70 protoplanetary disk. JWST/NIRCam offers a unique opportunity to characterize them and their birth environment at wavelengths difficult to access […]

NASA’s Space Telescope Live, a web application originally developed in 2016 to deliver real-time updates on Hubble targets, now affords easy access to up-to-date information on current, past, and upcoming observations from both Hubble and Webb. CREDIT STSCI/NASA

Astronomy & Telescopes, Press Release, Stellar Cartography

NASA Tool Lets You See What Hubble And Webb Are Observing Right Now

by Keith CowingMarch 8, 2024March 8, 2024

It’s not hard to find out what NASA’s Hubble and James Webb space telescopes have observed in the past. Barely a week goes by without news of a cosmic discovery […]

Broadband and spectroscopic light-curve fits of the NIRISS/SOSS (left) and NIRSpec/G395H (right) transits of TOI-270 d. For both instruments, examples of 10 normalized and systematics-corrected light curves are shown (colored points) along with their best-fitting transit models (black lines) and labelled with the central wavelength of the spectroscopic channel. Broadband light-curve fits (white) are also shown at the top for Order 1 in the NIRISS/SOSS case, and for NRS1 in the NIRSpec/G395H case. For clarity, the spectroscopic light curves are plotted with a relative flux offset. For NIRSpec/G395H, light curves with wavelengths below 3.8 µm are from the NRS1 detector and the remaining from NRS2. For visual purposes, the light curves are also binned in time in groups of 10 (NIRISS/SOSS) and 20 (NIRSpec/G395H) data points, resulting in 3.6 minute bins. A full transit of planet b occurs at the start of the NIRSpec/G395H exposure, with both transits overlapping shortly as planet d starts transiting. All light curves are well-behaved, with no signs of spot-crossing events or Hα flares. -- astro-ph.EP

Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

JWST Reveals CH4, CO2, and H2O in a Metal-rich Miscible Atmosphere on a Two-Earth-Radius Exoplanet

by Keith CowingMarch 7, 2024March 7, 2024

Even though sub-Neptunes likely represent the most common outcome of planet formation, their natures remain poorly understood.

JWST

LHS 1140 b Is A Potentially Habitable Water World

Do Temperate Rocky Planets Around M Dwarfs have an Atmosphere?

Webb Space Telescope Finds Ethanol And Other Organic Molecules Surrounding Young Protostars

Astrochemistry: Peering Into The Tendrils Of NGC 604 With Webb Space Telescope

Infrared Emission of Specific Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Molecules: Indene

Infrared Emission of Specific Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Molecules: Cyanonaphthalenes

VIRA: An Exoplanet Atmospheric Retrieval Framework for JWST Transmission Spectroscopy

MINDS: JWST/NIRCam Imaging Of The Protoplanetary Disk PDS 70

NASA Tool Lets You See What Hubble And Webb Are Observing Right Now

JWST Reveals CH4, CO2, and H2O in a Metal-rich Miscible Atmosphere on a Two-Earth-Radius Exoplanet

How High-pressure Ices On Large Ocean Worlds Can Support Habitability: The Compatibility Of Amino Acids Into Ice VI And VII

Ice Drives The Emergence Of Functional Protocells

Chemical Abundance Patterns at z=1-7: Carbon, Nitrogen, Neon, Sulphur, and Argon Abundances From JWST Spectroscopy

Optimization of Petal-Shaped Occulters for Exo-Earth Observation

Topographically Forced Stationary Waves Can Explain The Near-Surface Zonal Winds Observed By Huygens On Titan