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JWST's first spectrum of a TRAPPIST-1 planet

phys.org

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Re: JWST's first spectrum of a TRAPPIST-1 planet

#31

Post by jamiek88 »

ck2 wrote: post #14

Now I can't wait for European Extremely Large Telescope with several times the resolution (also the space Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope) btw PBS Nova has an awesome episode on JWST, how hard it was to get built and how it almost didn't get built because massively over budget ($10 Billion!) https://www.pbs.org/video/ultimate-space-telescope-gunryt/ This is kind of a "part 2" follow-up after it was launched and…

Ooooh thanks for this! I always forget about Nova then like almost all of their programs, think I should watch more then promptly forget!

Re: JWST's first spectrum of a TRAPPIST-1 planet

#32

Post by radicalbyte »

TheBlight wrote: post #10
ramraj07 wrote: post #8

Given how much we know now about how inhospitable red dwarf star systems are, why are we continuing to focus on planets in such systems instead of planets in sun like stars?

I don't get the impression there's currently a bandwidth problem here that needs optimizing. It's also not completely clear how inhospitable to life they truly are. Being the most abundant type of star in the galaxy by far, it makes sense to study them very closely to at least rule out the potential for life.

The habitable zone is very close to the star; this results in a high probability of the planet being tidally locked and a high probability of being affected by solar flares.

Re: JWST's first spectrum of a TRAPPIST-1 planet

#34

Post by icapybara »

ramraj07 wrote: post #8

Given how much we know now about how inhospitable red dwarf star systems are, why are we continuing to focus on planets in such systems instead of planets in sun like stars?

Life doesn’t revolve around the search for life- there are interesting things to learn from such planets even if those planets cannot host alien life.

Re: JWST's first spectrum of a TRAPPIST-1 planet

#35

Post by adampwells »

ramraj07 wrote: post #8

Given how much we know now about how inhospitable red dwarf star systems are, why are we continuing to focus on planets in such systems instead of planets in sun like stars?

I suspect we are 'looking for the keys under lamp posts' - ie looking where we have the most / easiest to get data.

Re: JWST's first spectrum of a TRAPPIST-1 planet

#37

Post by standardly »

radicalbyte wrote: post #32
TheBlight wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't get the impression there's currently a bandwidth problem here that needs optimizing. It's also not completely clear how inhospitable to life they truly are. Being the most abundant type of star in the galaxy by far, it makes sense to study them very closely to at least rule out the potential for life.

The habitable zone is very close to the star; this results in a high probability of the planet being tidally locked and a high probability of being affected by solar flares.

A tidally locked planet would be neat if civilization could exist there. One side would be constantly hot, and the other would be frozen, but there would exist a temperate climate zone in a longitudinal ring connecting the poles. Almost like a ring planet from Halo.

I remember an interesting astrobotany paper hypothesizing that if plants were to evolve on a red dwarf planet, there would be selective pressure for them to be black rather than green (for maximum light absorption, as most light would be infrared).

Re: JWST's first spectrum of a TRAPPIST-1 planet

#38

Post by api »

standardly wrote: post #37
radicalbyte wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The habitable zone is very close to the star; this results in a high probability of the planet being tidally locked and a high probability of being affected by solar flares.

A tidally locked planet would be neat if civilization could exist there. One side would be constantly hot, and the other would be frozen, but there would exist a temperate climate zone in a longitudinal ring connecting the poles. Almost like a ring planet from Halo. I remember an interesting astrobotany paper hypothesizing that if plants were to evolve on a red dwarf planet, there would be selective pressure for them…

You could also put solar up along the edge and even on the hot side and have tons of energy with no need for storage. It’d be like a poor man’s Dyson sphere.

Re: JWST's first spectrum of a TRAPPIST-1 planet

#39

Post by sbierwagen »

ramraj07 wrote: post #8

Given how much we know now about how inhospitable red dwarf star systems are, why are we continuing to focus on planets in such systems instead of planets in sun like stars?

Most stars are red dwarfs.

Of the 131 stars and sub-stellar objects within 20 light years of the Earth, 101 are red or brown dwarfs. JWST/NIRISS has limited resolution, it's not going to be shooting spectra of exoplanet atmospheres of systems 50,000 light years away. They're just measuring every exoplanet system.

Re: JWST's first spectrum of a TRAPPIST-1 planet

#40

Post by TheBlight »

radicalbyte wrote: post #32
TheBlight wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't get the impression there's currently a bandwidth problem here that needs optimizing. It's also not completely clear how inhospitable to life they truly are. Being the most abundant type of star in the galaxy by far, it makes sense to study them very closely to at least rule out the potential for life.

The habitable zone is very close to the star; this results in a high probability of the planet being tidally locked and a high probability of being affected by solar flares.

Some recent research suggests these stars may flare primarily at the poles, unlike our sun: https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/red-dwarfs-arent-...
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