NIRCam Archives

A5 Apparent chromatic offsets in WASP-107b’s time of conjunction with wavelength due to limb asymmetry. Shown are the best-fit times of conjunction as a function of wavelength when fitting our JWST/NIRCam F322W2 data by itself. We fit the data using a uniformlimb transit model, described in Section 3.4.2, fitting only for tc, the planet-star radius ratio, and a linear flux vs. time ramp model. The black points are the result from fitting each of our thirty spectroscopic light curves. The purple line is the result from fitting the broadband light curve, with the shaded region representing the 1-σ uncertainty. We show the difference between these results and the joint-fit time of conjunction derived by fitting other multi-wavelength data sets simultaneously, whose uncertainty is shown as the green shaded region. The observed difference is due to the significant evening-morning limb asymmetry on WASP-107b at these wavelengths. -- astro-ph.EP

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

Evidence for Morning-to-Evening Limb Asymmetry on the Cool Low-Density Exoplanet WASP-107b

by Keith CowingJune 22, 2024June 22, 2024

Transmission spectroscopy has enabled unprecedented insights into the makeup of exoplanet atmospheres. A transmission spectrum combines contributions from a planet’s morning and evening limbs, but these limbs may have different […]

In this image of the Serpens Nebula from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers found a grouping of aligned protostellar outflows within one small region (the top left corner). Serpens is a reflection nebula, which means it’s a cloud of gas and dust that does not create its own light, but instead shines by reflecting the light from stars close to or within the nebula. NASA, ESA, CSA, K. Pontoppidan (NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory) and J. Green (Space Telescope Science Institute).

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release

Astrochemistry Update: First of Its Kind Detection Made in Striking New Webb Image

by Keith CowingJune 21, 2024June 21, 2024

For the first time, a phenomenon astronomers have long hoped to directly image has been captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam). In this stunning image of […]

Color-color diagram of CMPOD models around hot and cool hosts (left) and around hot host only (right) in JWST filters. Symbols are same as Figure 3. About a quarter of our models are randomly picked to make the scatter plot. -- astro-ph.EP

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

Observational Characteristics Of Circum-planetary-mass-object Disks In The Era Of James Webb Space Telescope

by Keith CowingJune 17, 2024June 17, 2024

Recent observations have confirmed circumplanetary disks (CPDs) embedded in parental protoplanetary disks (PPDs). On the other hand, planetary-mass companions (PMCs) and planetary-mass objects (PMOs) are likely to harbor their own […]

Three independent reductions of the NIRCam F322W2 and F444W data agree within their uncertainties The top panel shows the F322W2 and F444W transmission spectra, as reduced using the Pegasus, Eureka, and tshirt pipelines, plotted with their associated 1 σ uncertainties using constant 0.015µm-wide spectral bins. All of the F322W2 spectra have been offset down by 163 ppm to correct for a bias offset in the F322W2 transit depths compared to the F444W and Spitzer data (see Appendix B.3). All three reductions agree on the shape of the transmission spectrum and show features due to H2O (2.5–3.2µm), CH4 (3.2–3.5µm), SO2 (3.9–4.1µm), and CO2 (2.6–2.9µm and 4.2–4.5µm). The absorption cross sections of the prominent species in this wavelength range, many of which are visually identifiable in the bottom panel. -- astro-ph.EP

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

Sulfur Dioxide and Other Molecular Species in the Atmosphere of the Sub-Neptune GJ 3470 b

by Keith CowingJune 11, 2024June 11, 2024

We report observations of the atmospheric transmission spectrum of the sub-Neptune exoplanet GJ 3470 b taken using the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) on JWST. Combined with two archival HST/WFC3 transit observations […]

Dwarf galaxy NGC 4449 The orange-red areas indicate the distribution of a type of carbon-based compounds known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (or PAHs) — the MIRI F770W filter is particularly suited to imaging these important molecules. -- NASA

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

Webb Telescope Observes Organic Astrochemistry In Dwarf Galaxy NGC 4449

by Keith CowingMay 30, 2024May 30, 2024

Featured in this new image from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope is the dwarf galaxy NGC 4449. This galaxy, also known as Caldwell 21, resides roughly 12.5 million light-years […]

Interpretation of WASP-107b’s transmission spectrum. The observed transmission spectrum of the planet with 1σ error bars is compared to the best-fit one-dimensional radiative-convective-photochemical equilibrium models (1D-RCPE model, χ 2/Ndata=1.4) shown at a spectral resolution of R=300. The colored shaded regions show the contributions from individual gases to the best fit model. The gray dashed line shows the clear atmosphere component of the model, that is, the gas contributions without the presence of clouds or hazes. Panel a shows the broad wavelength spectrum (0.8–12 µm) of the planet. Panel b shows the fit residuals with the corresponding 2σ data error envelope. Panel c shows the NIRCam observations, while d shows HST WFC3 spectra and e shows JWST MIRI observations. The HST/WFC3 data are binned at a constant ∆λ = 0.025 µm, the NIRCam data are binned at ∆λ = 0.015 µm, and the MIRI data are binned at ∆λ = 0.15025 µm. astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

A High Internal Heat Flux and Large Core in a Warm Neptune Exoplanet

by Keith CowingMay 22, 2024May 22, 2024

Interactions between exoplanetary atmospheres and internal properties have long been hypothesized to be drivers of the inflation mechanisms of gaseous planets and apparent atmospheric chemical disequilibrium conditions.

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

Webb Studies Inflated Exoplanet WASP-107 b

by Keith CowingMay 20, 2024May 20, 2024

Why is the warm gas-giant exoplanet WASP-107 b so puffy? Two independent teams of researchers have an answer.

Self-consistent atmosphere models of 55 Cnc e. The NIRCam relative eclipse depths are offset to a mean depth of 60 ppm. Previous Spitzer measurements 24 are shown in gray. The black dashed lines are blackbody models at the temperatures indicated in the plot. The vaporized-rock model was simulated using the rocky composition that corresponds to the bulk silicate Earth; using other plausible rock compositions results in qualitatively similar results (Extended Data Fig. 7). The atmosphere models are simulated either in a parameter exploration of CHONSP elemental abundances or with the assumption of volatile equilibrium with an underlying magma ocean. The models shown are selected from those that provide adequate fits to the data. The volatile atmosphere models with enhanced outgassing of rock-forming elements can cause substantial changes in the eclipse depth and the emission spectra. The models are smoothed to R=100 for the clarity of illustration. Model results binned to the same wavelength channels as the MIRI data are shown as colored points. The oxygen fugacity (fO2 ) describes the redox condition of the magma and fO2=IW-4 means a condition more reduced than the iron-wustite (IW) buffer by 4 orders of magnitude. The full sets of atmospheric models are described in Methods and Extended Data Figs. 8 and 9. -- astro-ph.EP

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Status Report

A Secondary Atmosphere On The Rocky Exoplanet 55 Cancri e

by Keith CowingMay 11, 2024

Characterizing rocky exoplanets is a central endeavor of astronomy, and yet the search for atmospheres on rocky exoplanets has hitherto resulted in either tight upper limits on the atmospheric mass […]

Variability detections for brown dwarfs of different spectral classes. Objects close to the L/T transition show the highest variability rates and amplitudes. Directly imaged exoplanets have similar temperatures and low surface gravities to these objects, and so are expected to be similarly highly variable. - astro-ph.SR

Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Brown Dwarfs, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Status Report

Prioritizing High-Precision Photometric Monitoring of Exoplanet and Brown Dwarf Companions with JWST — Strategic Exoplanet Initiatives with HST and JWST White Paper

by Keith CowingMay 6, 2024

We advocate for the prioritization of high-precision photometric monitoring of exoplanet and brown dwarf companions to detect brightness variability arising from features in their atmospheres. Measurements of photometric variability provide […]

Left: NIRCam F356W detection of the Fomalhaut C debris disk in scattered light resulting from the MCRDI procedure (Section 4). The image has been smoothed by a gaussian kernel with FWHM of 6.7 pixels (3× the PSF FWHM). The inner software mask has a radius of 1. ′′5 and covers the region of significant residual speckle noise. Logarithmically-spaced black contours are drawn above the maximum for the color stretch to show the peak location of the bright south-western background source. Right: As the image on the left, but with silver contours showing the 1–5 σ levels for the ALMA detection of the disk reported in Cronin-Coltsmann et al. (2021). The gold arrows extend from the locations of the two assumed background sources modeled in Cronin-Coltsmann et al. (2021), showing their expected displacement due to the proper motion of Fomalhaut C (Gaia Collaboration et al. 2022). Both predicted positions are consistent with sources detected in the 2022 NIRCam data, supporting their identity as unassociated background objects. -- astro-ph.EP

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

JWST/NIRCam Detection of the Fomalhaut C Debris Disk in Scattered Light

by Keith CowingMay 2, 2024September 5, 2025

Observations of debris disks offer important insights into the formation and evolution of planetary systems. Though M dwarfs make up approximately 80% of nearby stars, very few M-dwarf debris disks […]

NIRCam

Evidence for Morning-to-Evening Limb Asymmetry on the Cool Low-Density Exoplanet WASP-107b

Astrochemistry Update: First of Its Kind Detection Made in Striking New Webb Image

Observational Characteristics Of Circum-planetary-mass-object Disks In The Era Of James Webb Space Telescope

Sulfur Dioxide and Other Molecular Species in the Atmosphere of the Sub-Neptune GJ 3470 b

Webb Telescope Observes Organic Astrochemistry In Dwarf Galaxy NGC 4449

A High Internal Heat Flux and Large Core in a Warm Neptune Exoplanet

Webb Studies Inflated Exoplanet WASP-107 b

A Secondary Atmosphere On The Rocky Exoplanet 55 Cancri e

Prioritizing High-Precision Photometric Monitoring of Exoplanet and Brown Dwarf Companions with JWST — Strategic Exoplanet Initiatives with HST and JWST White Paper

JWST/NIRCam Detection of the Fomalhaut C Debris Disk in Scattered Light

NASA Spaceline Current Awareness List #1,215 4 September 2026 (Space Life Science Research Results)

The Metallicity Of Giant Exoplanets Around Low-mass Stars And How Ariel Can Help

Two Extremely Irradiated Volatile-rich Sub-Neptunes With Companions In The TOI-426 And TOI-1839 Systems: Insights Into Arrival And Survival Near The Lower Edge Of The Neptunian Desert

Mapping the WISPIT2 Planet-Hosting Cavity at Sub-Hill-Radius scales

Contrasting C/O Ratios in Uranus and Neptune From Disequilibrium Chemistry: A Clue To Distinct Evolutionary Pathways?