Available JWST observations TRAPPIST-1 system have suggested that several of the planets are likely airless, or possess a very tenuous atmosphere.
Red dwarf stars—cooler and smaller than our Sun—make up more than 75% of the stars in our Galaxy. Astronomers have shown that small, Earth-like planets are common around this type […]
With the arrival of JWST observations of the TRAPPIST-1 planets, it is timely to reassess the contribution of tidal heating to their heat budget. JWST thermal phase curves could reveal […]
We investigate the dynamical stability of potential satellites orbiting the seven planets of the TRAPPIST-1 system using a suite of N-body simulations.
With seven temperate Earth-sized planets revolving around an ultracool red dwarf, the nearby TRAPPIST-1 system offers a unique opportunity to verify models of exoplanet composition, differentiation, and interior structure.
It is still unclear whether exoplanets in compact multiplanet systems such as TRAPPIST-1 are able to accrete large quantities of volatiles, grow to sufficient mass, and maintain robust atmospheres and […]
It is still unclear whether exoplanets in compact multiplanet systems such as TRAPPIST-1 are able to accrete large quantities of volatiles, grow to sufficient mass, and maintain robust atmospheres and […]
The search for atmospheres on rocky exoplanets is a crucial step in understanding the processes driving atmosphere formation, retention, and loss.
![Range of best-fit phase curve and eclipse models for TRAPPIST-1 b and c. The detrended data are shown with gray dots and binned data with black dots. Red curves show the light curve model for each JWST program that observed TRAPPIST-1 b and c at 15µm using MIRI F1500W; the shading spans the range of models drawn from the posterior distribution of the day flux, night flux and phase offset for planets b and c from Analysis # 1 at 2-σ. The top panel shows the phase curve from GO 3077; the second row displays the five visits from GO 1177 (PI: Greene); and the third row presents the four visits from GO 2304 (PI: Kreidberg), along with a zoom-in on the double occultation observed in GO 3077. The expected transit and eclipse timings for each planet from [19] are shown in vertical dashed and plain lines respectively (purple for b, orange for c, and green for g). -- astro-ph.EP](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/First-JWST-Thermal-Phase-Curves.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
We report JWST/MIRI 15 μm phase curves of TRAPPIST-1 b and c, revealing thermal emission consistent with their irradiation levels, assuming no efficient heat redistribution.
The exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 d intrigues astronomers looking for possibly habitable worlds beyond our solar system because it is similar in size to Earth, rocky, and resides in an area around […]
