The study, led by Jacob Lustig-Yaeger, a UW doctoral student in astronomy, finds that the James Webb telescope, set to launch in 2021, might be able to learn key information […]
TRAPPIST-1
Posted inTRAPPIST-1
The Chaotic Nature of TRAPPIST-1 Planetary Spin States
The TRAPPIST-1 system has 7 known terrestrial planets arranged compactly in a mean-motion resonant chain around an ultra-cool central star, some within the estimated habitable zone. Given their short orbital […]
Posted inTRAPPIST-1
Water Delivery to the TRAPPIST-1 Planets
Three of the seven rocky planets (e, f, and g) in TRAPPIST-1 system orbit in the habitable zone of the host star. Therefore, water can be in liquid state at […]
Posted inTRAPPIST-1
The Detectability and Characterization of the TRAPPIST-1 Exoplanet Atmospheres with JWST
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will offer the first opportunity to characterize terrestrial exoplanets with sufficient precision to identify high mean molecular weight atmospheres, and TRAPPIST-1’s seven known transiting […]
Posted inPress Release, TRAPPIST-1
Powerful Particles And Tugging Tides May Affect Extraterrestrial Life
Since its discovery in 2016, planetary scientists have been excited about TRAPPIST-1, a system where seven Earth-sized rocky planets orbit a cool star. Three of the planets are in the […]
Posted inPress Release, TRAPPIST-1
Tides Between The TRAPPIST-1 Planets
The TRAPPIST-1 system is sufficiently closely packed that tides raised by one planet on another are significant. We investigate whether this source of tidal heating is comparable to eccentricity tides […]
Posted inPress Release, TRAPPIST-1
Tidal Heating and the Habitability of the TRAPPIST-1 Exoplanets
Context. New estimates of the masses and radii of the seven planets orbiting the ultracool M-dwarf TRAPPIST-1 star permit improved modelling of their compositions, heating by tidal dissipation, and removal […]
Posted inPress Release, TRAPPIST-1
Predicting the Extreme Ultraviolet Radiation Environment of Exoplanets Around Low-Mass Stars: the TRAPPIST-1 System
The high energy radiation environment around M dwarf stars strongly impacts the characteristics of close-in exoplanet atmospheres, but these wavelengths are difficult to observe due to geocoronal and interstellar contamination. […]
Posted inPress Release, TRAPPIST-1
New Climate Models of TRAPPIST-1's Seven Intriguing Worlds
Not all stars are like the Sun, so not all planetary systems can be studied with the same expectations. New research from a University of Washington-led team of astronomers gives […]
Posted inPress Release, TRAPPIST-1
Constraining the Environment and Habitability of TRAPPIST-1
The planetary system of TRAPPIST-1, discovered in 2016-2017, is a treasure-trove of information. Thanks to a combination of observational techniques, we have estimates of the radii and masses of the […]