Latest Look at TRAPPIST-1 Planet Raises Concerns of Star 'Contamination'

  • 📰 ScienceAlert
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 34 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Qulity Score:
  • News: 17%
  • Publisher: 68%

Earlier this year, the James Webb Space Telescope dashed hopes for life on one of the most Earth-like exoplanets discovered in the Milky Way.

United States News, United States Headlines

That finding, made using mid-infrared photometric observations, wasn't an unexpected one, however; the research was more about making a close study of a smaller, rocky world at cooler temperatures than we usually do.

TRAPPIST-1b is still uninhabitable to life as we know it, mind you. But the discovery, led by astronomer Olivia Lim of the University of Montreal, suggests that stellar contamination could produce false detections of molecules that aren't related to the exoplanet.NASA, ESA, CSA, J. Olmsted/STScI, T. P. Greene/NASA Ames, T. Bell/BAERI, E. Ducrot & P. Lagage/CEA"Our observations did not see signs of an atmosphere around TRAPPIST-1 b.

Scientists can look for changes in the spectrum of light when the exoplanet transits, and use those changes to hunt for the signatures of molecules absorbing and re-emitting specific wavelengths of light.

We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Webb finds no atmosphere in potentially habitable TRAPPIST-1James Webb Space Telescope has provided fresh insights into the star system located just at the distance of 40 light-years away from Earth.
Source: IntEngineering - 🏆 287. / 63 Read more »

Stellar Contamination and Ghostly Atmospheres: Webb Reveals New Insights Into TRAPPIST-1 ExoplanetAstronomers have made breakthroughs in studying the TRAPPIST-1 exoplanetary system, emphasizing the role of stellar contamination and exploring the potential atmospheres of TRAPPIST-1 b. Astronomers led by a team at Université de Montréal have made important progress in understanding the intrigui
Source: SciTechDaily1 - 🏆 84. / 68 Read more »

JWST just scanned the skies of potentially habitable exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 bStars at the center of solar systems may have hampered our understanding of far-off atmospheres, but JWST could cut through the interference.
Source: PopSci - 🏆 298. / 63 Read more »

Kaia Gerber’s Latest Look Has Us Craving a Godfather RemakeMichael Corleone could never.
Source: voguemagazine - 🏆 715. / 51 Read more »

Girls volleyball: Conference players of the week, Sept. 20-26Have a look at the latest 13 Conference Players of the Week.
Source: njdotcom - 🏆 282. / 63 Read more »

Yoon Jong Woo Of “Boys Planet” Confirmed To Make Debut In New Boy GroupYoon Jong Woo Of “Boys Planet” Confirmed To Make Debut In New Boy Group
Source: soompi - 🏆 574. / 51 Read more »