The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been truly revolutionary- it is now hard to imagine what life was like without it! Since its launch in 2021, the JWST has been transforming our understanding of the universe, from the formation of galaxies to the composition of exoplanet atmospheres. With three years of data now available online, scientists and the public can explore the vast array of discoveries made possible by the JWST’s cutting-edge technology and unparalleled observational capabilities.
The Impact of the JWST
The JWST has had an impact on astronomy since its launch on Christmas Day 2021 that cannot be overestimated. This influence has extended from studies of objects within the solar system to the very edge of observable space and, thus, the earliest imaginable galaxies.
Though it was predicted to become a major player in the study of the most distant and ancient galaxies, the $10 billion telescope wasn’t expected to have such an impact on one of the most fascinating and rapidly growing areas of astronomy: the study of planets beyond the solar system, or extrasolar planets, or “exoplanets.”
A New Era for Exoplanet Research
But reality often doesn’t meet expectations. In celebration of three years of exoplanet science from the JWST, Joshua Lothringer, an assistant astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) and exoplanet expert, has created the first “go-to hub” for the public and scientists to see which types of planets are being observed by humanity’s most powerful space telescope.
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The Exoplanet Dashboard
Lothringer, who has been co-author on 20 publications based on it’s observations, including the Early Release Science observations of WASP-39b, has built an exoplanet dashboard that gives data related to the JWST’s exoplanet studies. The dashboard features a striking and frequently updated GIF that visualizes the planets studied, having them appear by name and according to their mass and the time it takes them to orbit their parent star.
“I wanted to create the dashboard because there currently isn’t a go-to place to see which types of planets are being observed by it and answering questions like: ‘How many terrestrial planets has the JWST observed?'” Lothringer told.
The JWST’s Exoplanet Observations
“We have a listing of exoplanet-related observations called TrExoLiSTS created by my collaborator Nikolay Nikolov, also at STScI, but we needed to connect this to the actual planet properties in the NASA Exoplanet Archive, which is what we’ve done with the Dashboard.”
The researcher explained that once this was done, he was able to create some helpful visualizations and calculate some statistics to understand the breadth of it’s sample of exoplanets.
The Capabilities
“JWST is good at finding and studying exoplanets for two main reasons. First, its relatively large 6.4-meter (21-foot) mirror is able to collect a lot of photons [particles of light] to observe very dim objects, like small planets,” Lothringer explained.
“The large mirror size also means it can resolve objects that are very close together, which is especially useful when searching for planets with direct imaging.”
The Future of Exoplanet Research
“The second advantage of the it is, that it has been designed to observe the cosmos in infrared light. This means it is sensitive to a whole region of the electromagnetic spectrum that ground-based telescopes or the Hubble Space Telescope just isn’t sensitive to,” Lothringer added.
The Importance of Infrared Light
“The infrared region is where we can measure molecules like carbon dioxide and methane. So it is really the combination of these two factors that make it such a unique facility.”
“JWST has truly been revolutionary- it is now hard to imagine what life was like without it!” Lothringer said.
“It helps give a much more complete and precise picture of what exoplanet atmospheres are made of, what their temperatures are like, and what sorts of weather might be occurring on them.”
The Growing Library of Observations
“And, we can now answer those sorts of questions for a wider range of planets, including smaller sub-Neptune and terrestrial planets.”
As for the future, in terms of exoplanets, Lotheringer explained he is most excited to start finding trends within the growing library of it’s observations.
B’says
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has achieved a significant milestone in exoplanet research, with three years of data now available online. The JWST has exceeded expectations in its ability to study exoplanets, with a total of 111 planets observed to date. A new exoplanet dashboard, created by Joshua Lothringer, provides a comprehensive overview of the it’s exoplanet observations, including data on planet mass, orbital period, and atmospheric composition. The JWST’s capabilities, including its large mirror and infrared light sensitivity, have enabled groundbreaking research on exoplanet atmospheres and temperatures. As the JWST continues to collect data, scientists are excited to identify trends and patterns in the growing library of exoplanet observations.
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