JWST Archives

Two dimensional map of the H2O and CO2 abundances of one quadrant of a disk around a low-mass star without a cavity (left) and with a 1 au cavity (right) 97. The dashed lines indicate the 70 and 200 K temperature contours; the blue line the τmid−IR = 1 line at 15 µm. The cavity radius is located between the H2O and CO2 snowlines. The disk model parameters are taken from ref. -- astro-ph.EP

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

The Diverse Chemistry Of Protoplanetary Disks As Revealed By JWST

by Keith CowingJuly 26, 2023July 26, 2023

Early results from the JWST-MIRI guaranteed time programs on protostars (JOYS) and disks (MINDS) are presented. Thanks to the increased sensitivity, spectral and spatial resolution of the MIRI spectrometer, the […]

This artist’s concept portrays the star PDS 70 and its inner protoplanetary disk. New measurements by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have detected water vapor at distances of less than 100 million miles from the star – the region where rocky, terrestrial planets may be forming. This is the first detection of water in the terrestrial region of a disk already known to host two or more protoplanets, one of which is shown at upper right. -- NASA

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Press Release

Webb Detects Water Vapor in Rocky Planet-Forming Zone

by Keith CowingJuly 24, 2023July 24, 2023

Water is essential for life as we know it. However, scientists debate how it reached the Earth and whether the same processes could seed rocky exoplanets orbiting distant stars. New […]

This image highlights the location of the galaxy JADES-GS-z6 in a portion of an area of the sky known as GOODS-South, which was observed as part of the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey, or JADES.

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

Webb Sees Carbon-rich Dust Grains In The First Billion Years Of Cosmic Time

by Keith CowingJuly 19, 2023July 19, 2023

For the first time, the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has observed the chemical signature of carbon-rich dust grains at redshift ~ 7 [1], which is roughly equivalent to one […]

Full MIRI/MRS spectrum of the Sz 98 disk. The extent per region is indicated, along with the detected species. The Spitzer LRS spectrum from the CASSIS database is shown in light grey (Lebouteiller et al. 2011). -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Interstellar, Status Report

MINDS. Abundant Water And Varying C/O Across The Disk Of Sz 98 As Seen By JWST/MIRI

by Keith CowingJuly 19, 2023July 19, 2023

MIRI/MRS on board the JWST allows us to probe the inner regions of protoplanetary disks. Here we examine the disk around the classical T Tauri star Sz 98, which has […]

Top: Top-of-atmosphere number flux from the Sun and TRAPPIST-1 (left y-axis). Also co-plotted are the photolysis cross-sections of CO2 (right abscissa). Bottom: CO2 cross-sections weighted by the stellar emission of TRAPPIST-1 and the Sun. The bluer spectrum of TRAPPIST-1 increases the weight of shortwave σCO2 , which is larger, driving an increase in σUV,g. -- astro-ph.EP

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Status Report

A Re-Appraisal of CO/O2 Runaway On Habitable Planets Orbiting Low-Mass Stars

by Keith CowingJuly 19, 2023July 19, 2023

Efforts to spectrally characterize the atmospheric compositions of temperate terrestrial exoplanets orbiting M-dwarf stars with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) are now underway. Key molecular targets of such searches […]

Median temperature (K) differences between high and low pCO2 scenarios and median wind speeds (m s−1) for each scenario for Earth-like (a, c) and TRAPPIST-1e (b, d) ExoCAM simulations at (a, b) upper and (c, d) near-surface levels. Black and green quivers represent the high and low pCO2 scenarios, respectively. Using the Wilcoxon Rank-Sum test, lime and magenta-filled contours for wind speed and temperature represent areas not statistically significant at the 5% level, respectively. -- The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release, TRAPPIST-1

Greenhouse Gas Supplement Increases Warming And Alters Circulation Patterns On Earth and Earth-like Exoplanets

by Keith CowingJuly 13, 2023July 13, 2023

With the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the study of exoplanetary atmospheres and their potential habitability reached new heights. A team of researchers led by Dr. Assaf […]

Target pixel files (TPFs) of TOI-1680 in TESS Sector 14 and 15, created with tpfplotter (Aller et al. 2020). The orange shaded region represents the aperture used to extract the SPOC photometry. The red circles are the Gaia DR2 sources. Sizes represent magnitude contrasts with respect to TOI-1680. Figure continued in Appendix A. -- astro-ph.EP

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

TESS Discovers A Super-Earth Orbiting The M Dwarf Star TOI-1680

by Keith CowingJuly 13, 2023July 13, 2023

We report the discovery by the TESS mission of a super-Earth on a 4.8-d orbit around an inactive M4.5 dwarf (TOI-1680) and its validation with ground-based facilities.

The distribution of upper level energies Eu and Einstein-A coefficients (top left and right plots, with color-coding reflecting Eu values) across infrared wavelengths naturally traces radial temperature gradients in inner disks within and across the water snowline (bottom plot, where the spectrum is scaled to a distance of 130 pc). Adapted from Figure 1 in Blevins et al. (2016) and Figure 13 in Banzatti et al. (2023). The MIRI lines used in the analysis in Section 3 are marked with black circles. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

JWST Reveals Excess Cool Water Near The Snowline In Compact Disks, Consistent With Pebble Drift

by Keith CowingJuly 11, 2023July 11, 2023

Previous analyses of mid-infrared water spectra from young protoplanetary disks observed with the Spitzer-IRS found an anti-correlation between water luminosity and the millimeter dust disk radius observed with ALMA.

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

Analogous Response Of Temperate Terrestrial Exoplanets And Earth’s Climate Dynamics To Greenhouse Gas Supplement

by Keith CowingJuly 6, 2023July 6, 2023

Humanity is close to characterizing the atmospheres of rocky exoplanets due to the advent of JWST. These astronomical observations motivate us to understand exoplanetary atmospheres to constrain habitability.

Sulfur-bearing species detected by ROSINA (Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis)–DFMS (Double Focusing Mass Spectrometer) before and during the dust event on 5 September 2016, ~2 km above the nucleus surface. 17:xx denotes measurements made before the dust impact between 17:15 and 17:55 UTC (depending on mass), and 18:xx denotes measurements during the dust impact (18:09 to 18:50). (A) CnHmSl bearing species, n = 0 to 4; m = 0 to 6, l = 1 to 2. (B) CnHmOlS- and CHnNS-bearing species, n = 0 to 3; m = 0 to 6, l = 1 to 2. Species are ordered by mass/charge ratio (m/z) but not spaced accordingly (x axis not linear). The value, pre-event, for SO could not be derived as the spectrum is corrupted. Abundances are given in arbitrary units (a.u.) but corrected for instrumental effects (mass-dependent sensitivity). Caution: During the impact, coma background densities decreased over the 40 min needed to cover the mass range. Higher masses are therefore underestimated compared to low masses. - Caltech/Science Advances

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Status Report

Complex Organosulfur Molecules On Comet 67P: Evidence From The ROSINA Measurements And Insights From Laboratory Simulations

by Keith CowingJuly 1, 2023July 1, 2023

The ROSINA (Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis) instrument aboard the Rosetta mission revolutionized our understanding of cometary material composition. One of Rosetta’s key findings is the complexity […]

JWST

The Diverse Chemistry Of Protoplanetary Disks As Revealed By JWST

Webb Detects Water Vapor in Rocky Planet-Forming Zone

Webb Sees Carbon-rich Dust Grains In The First Billion Years Of Cosmic Time

MINDS. Abundant Water And Varying C/O Across The Disk Of Sz 98 As Seen By JWST/MIRI

A Re-Appraisal of CO/O2 Runaway On Habitable Planets Orbiting Low-Mass Stars

Greenhouse Gas Supplement Increases Warming And Alters Circulation Patterns On Earth and Earth-like Exoplanets

TESS Discovers A Super-Earth Orbiting The M Dwarf Star TOI-1680

JWST Reveals Excess Cool Water Near The Snowline In Compact Disks, Consistent With Pebble Drift

Analogous Response Of Temperate Terrestrial Exoplanets And Earth’s Climate Dynamics To Greenhouse Gas Supplement

Complex Organosulfur Molecules On Comet 67P: Evidence From The ROSINA Measurements And Insights From Laboratory Simulations

Astrobiologist Dale Andersen’s Antarctic Field Report: 20 Oct 2026: Wheels Down In Cape Town

Astrobiology Primer

The Evolution Of Oxygen, Temperature, And Marine Aerobic Habitat For Animals Over The Last Billion Years Of Earth History

Icy Ocean Planet Recon: Saildrone Research Fleet To Circle Antarctica For 5 Years

Water As We’ve Never Known It: Testing Water Beyond Earth-like Conditions