Wednesday, February 5, 2020

NASA's Webb Will Seek Atmospheres around Potentially Habitable Exoplanets

INBOX ASTRONOMY

NASA's Webb Will Seek Atmospheres around Potentially Habitable Exoplanets



Release date: February 5, 2020


Larger, gas giant exoplanets will also fall under Webb's gaze

The TRAPPIST-1 system of exoplanets holds exciting possibilities in the search for potentially habitable worlds. In this system an ultra-cool star is orbited by seven rocky, Earth-sized worlds, three of which are in the "Goldilocks" zone where liquid water might exist on their surfaces. However, to have liquid water they would also need a protective atmosphere.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope will observe those worlds to determine whether any of them have an atmosphere. Either way, the answer will help us determine how hard (or easy) it is for similar planets to hold onto their atmospheres under a barrage of stellar winds and radiation.


Read more

Find additional articles, images, and videos at WebbTelescope.org.


Produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute's Office of Public Outreach.

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