WASP-107b Archives - Astrobiology

Transmission spectra of all cloud models for WASP-107b compared with the JWST NIRCam observations (black points). Dotted lines show small-particle models dominated by Rayleigh scattering (0.1 µm Na2S, KCl, MgSiO3); dashed lines are over-clouded models with suppressed molecular features (1 µm Na2S and MgSiO3); dot-dashed lines are under-clouded models with large features (10 µm Na2S; 5, 10 µm KCl; 10 µm MgSiO3). Solid lines indicate the three best-fit models: 5 µm Na2S (blue), 1 µm KCl (green), and 5 µm MgSiO3 (red). -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

The Tale Of The 3 Planets: 3D Cloud Feedback Enhances The Spectral Diversity Of Warm Jupiters

by Keith CowingApril 30, 2026April 30, 2026

JWST has shown a large diversity in warm Jupiter spectra, despite only small variations in the planetary parameters. However, the main driver of this diversity remains unclear. We aim to […]

Time evolution of the gas disk and planetary envelopes after the tidal disruption of a Jupiter-like planet. - Disc surface density evolution for the 10 M⊕ case; circles indicate the closer VEP. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report

Volatile Enrichment In Low-mass Planets: Signatures Of Past Planetary Disruption?

by Keith CowingJuly 29, 2025July 29, 2025

Context: Tidal disruption and engulfment events around main-sequence stars, such as the luminous red nova ZTF SLRN-2020 (a candidate planetary-engulfment event), reveal the destruction of close-in giant planets. While current […]

Artist's illustration of the exoplanet WASP-107b based on transit observations from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope as well as other space- and ground-based telescopes. Credit: Rachel Amaro/University of Arizona

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

Astronomers Catch A Glimpse Of A Uniquely Inflated And Asymmetric Exoplanet

by Keith CowingSeptember 25, 2024September 25, 2024

Astronomers from the University of Arizona, along with an international group of researchers, observed the atmosphere of a hot and uniquely inflated exoplanet using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. The […]

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 […]

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.

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 […]