JWST Archives

Comparing TRAPPIST-1 planets to Solar System planets (left) and likely rocky exoplanets already observed or planned to be observed by JWST in Cycle 1 and 2 (right). Incident flux is plotted against escape velocity, so that planets in the top left are less likely to retain atmospheres, and planets in the bottom right are more likely to retain atmospheres. Stellar temperature, represented by color, may also play a role in atmosphere retention. Black Xs are placed on the labeled exoplanets which have already been observed to have no thick atmosphere. The gray line in the right panel is the “cosmic shoreline” (Finc ∝ vesc 4 ) presented in Zahnle & Catling (2017). -- astro-ph.EP

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

The Carbon-Deficient Evolution Of TRAPPIST-1c

by Keith CowingNovember 29, 2023November 29, 2023

Transiting planets orbiting M dwarfs provide the best opportunity to study the atmospheres of rocky planets with current facilities.

The NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s reveals a portion of the Milky Way’s dense core in a new light. An estimated 500,000 stars shine in this image of the Sagittarius C (Sgr C) region, along with some as-yet unidentified features. A large region of ionized hydrogen, shown in cyan, contains intriguing needle-like structures that lack any uniform orientation. NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, and S. Crowe (University of Virginia). Download full resolution images for this article from the Space Telescope Science Institute.

Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release, SETI & Technosignatures

Webb’s View Of The Galactic Center. 500,000+ Stars. How Many Have Life-bearing Worlds?

by Keith CowingNovember 26, 2023November 26, 2023

The latest image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope shows a portion of the dense center of our galaxy in unprecedented detail, including never-before-seen features astronomers have yet to explain. […]

Examples of median-averaged IFU slices obtained with the G235M grating setting for Patroclus and Eurybates. The slices are projected onto the sky plane, with the x and y coordinates corresponding to right ascension and declination, respectively. A logarithmic stretch has been applied to the flux scaling in order to accentuate the detailed structure of the target PSFs at wide separations. The PSF of the Patroclus binary shows an extended shape. The black boxes denote the extraction regions used in producing the spectra. The faint background source near Patroclus lies in a region of the field of view that was masked during our spectral extraction. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

JWST Near-infrared Spectroscopy Of The Lucy Jupiter Trojan Flyby Targets: Evidence For OH Absorption, Aliphatic Organics, And CO2

by Keith CowingNovember 23, 2023November 22, 2023

We present JWST/NIRSpec observations of the five Jupiter Trojans that will be visited by the Lucy spacecraft — the Patroclus–Menoetius binary, Eurybates, Orus, Leucus, and Polymele.

An artist’s rendering of the warm exoplanet WASP-80 b whose color may appear bluish to human eyes due to the lack of high-altitude clouds and the presence of atmospheric methane identified by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, similar to the planets Uranus and Neptune in our own solar system. Image credit: NASA.

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release

Methane And Water Found In The Atmosphere Of Exoplanet WASP-80 b

by Keith CowingNovember 22, 2023November 22, 2023

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope observed the exoplanet WASP-80 b as it passed in front of and behind its host star, revealing spectra indicative of an atmosphere containing methane gas […]

Simulated spectra of the two PAH disc models for selected inclinations. The left panel shows the SED of a smooth PAH disc, and the bottom panel shows the disc with a 40 au PAH gap containing only 10 % PAHs in the gap compared to the smooth-disc model. Even though the strength of all PAH features decreases in the gap model, the short-wavelength features (3 µm and 6 µm) become much weaker than the 11 µm feature. -- astro-ph.EP

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

The Need For Spatially Resolved Observations Of PAHs In Protoplanetary Discs

by Keith CowingNovember 22, 2023November 22, 2023

The signatures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been observed in protoplanetary discs, and their emission features obtained from spectral energy distributions (SED) have been used in the literature to […]

Starlight passing through an exoplanet atmosphere can be spread into a spectrum by instruments on space telescopes, revealing which molecules are present on the exoplanet. Infographic: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Lizbeth B. De La Torre

Astrobiology (general), Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Life On Other Planets: What Is Life And What Does It Need?

by Keith CowingNovember 19, 2023November 19, 2023

One day, perhaps in the not-too-distant future, a faraway planet could yield hints that it might host some form of life – but surrender its secrets reluctantly.

Artist impression of WASP-107b and its parent star CREDIT Illustration: LUCA School of Arts, Belgium/ Klaas Verpoest (visuals), Johan Van Looveren (typography). Science: Achrène Dyrek (CEA and Université Paris Cité, France), Michiel Min (SRON, the Netherlands), Leen Decin (KU Leuven, Belgium) / European MIRI EXO GTO team / ESA / NASA

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

Webb Detects Water Vapor, Sulfur Dioxide And Sand Clouds In The Atmosphere Nearby Exoplanet WASP-107b

by Keith CowingNovember 16, 2023November 16, 2023

A team of European astronomers, co-led by researchers from the Institute of Astronomy, KU Leuven, used recent observations made with the James Webb Space Telescope to study the atmosphere of […]

Comparison of the 14N/15N ratio in the solar neighbourhood. The values are based on either ammonia isotopologues (orange circles) or other molecules (black symbols), in different environments, subdivided by classes7 . Our estimate for WISE J1828 appears as the brown dwarf class and is consistent with solar values (dashed horizontal yellow line) at the 1-2 σ level. Lower values indicate enrichment in 15N, while the dashed blue line represents the current value of the interstellar medium (ISM). -- astro-ph.SR

Astrochemistry, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Brown Dwarfs, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report

15NH3 In The Atmosphere Of A Cool Brown Dwarf

by Keith CowingNovember 16, 2023November 16, 2023

Brown dwarfs serve as ideal laboratories for studying the atmospheres of giant exoplanets on wide orbits as the governing physical and chemical processes in them are nearly identical. Understanding the […]

In this artist’s concept, the young star SZ Chamaeleontis (SZ Cha) is surrounded by a disk of dust and gas with the potential to form a planetary system. But the star emits radiation that is evaporating the disk, leaving the potential planets in a race against time to form before the disk is evaporated completely. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI)

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release

Neon Readings By Webb Prompt New Thinking About Planet Formation

by Keith CowingNovember 15, 2023November 15, 2023

Observations by the MIRI instrument on NASA’s Webb telescope are providing new clues about the time window when planets can form around a young star.

Upper left panel: Comparison of our work to the model results of Mikal-Evans (2022) who assumed a cloud-less Archean-Earth. Grey shading indicated the wavelength range of the figure below. Lower left panel: The transmission spectra of TRAPPIST-1e observed with HST/WFC3 during two different transits (see Zhang et al. 2018). The green lines show our wet alive model results during the Carrington-like event (solid lines - scenario [5], dashed lines - scenario [6]), while the blue lines correspond to the Archean-Earth scenario of Mikal-Evans (2022). Right panel: Comparison of the corresponding assumed atmospheric temperature profiles. -- astro-ph.EP

Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Radiation, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report, TRAPPIST-1

Impact of Cosmic Rays on Atmospheric Ion Chemistry and Spectral Transmission Features of TRAPPIST-1e

by Keith CowingNovember 10, 2023November 10, 2023

Ongoing observing projects like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and future missions offer the chance to characterize Earth-like exoplanetary atmospheres. Thereby, M-dwarfs are preferred targets for transit observations, for […]

JWST

The Carbon-Deficient Evolution Of TRAPPIST-1c

Webb’s View Of The Galactic Center. 500,000+ Stars. How Many Have Life-bearing Worlds?

JWST Near-infrared Spectroscopy Of The Lucy Jupiter Trojan Flyby Targets: Evidence For OH Absorption, Aliphatic Organics, And CO2

Methane And Water Found In The Atmosphere Of Exoplanet WASP-80 b

The Need For Spatially Resolved Observations Of PAHs In Protoplanetary Discs

Life On Other Planets: What Is Life And What Does It Need?

Webb Detects Water Vapor, Sulfur Dioxide And Sand Clouds In The Atmosphere Nearby Exoplanet WASP-107b

15NH3 In The Atmosphere Of A Cool Brown Dwarf

Neon Readings By Webb Prompt New Thinking About Planet Formation

Impact of Cosmic Rays on Atmospheric Ion Chemistry and Spectral Transmission Features of TRAPPIST-1e

Early-career Graduate Students Host An Exclusive, NASA-funded Astrobiology Conference

Intimate Link Between Prebiotic Chemistry And Meteorites: Mechanisms Of Organic Molecule Formation

Microbial Mats Influence The Isotopic Composition And Provenance of Soil Organic Matter In The McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

Beyond The Prebiotic Soup: Solid Organic Films And Protocell-Like Formation in Prebiotic Discharge Experiments

From Searching For Extraterrestrial Biosignatures To Exploring The Origins Of Life: A Prebiotic Chemistry Perspective