Exoplanet Characterization from JWST

We are now one full year into the era of JWST, NASA’s flagship observatory and the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. Exoplanet characterization has historically been dominated by space-based facilities, and the new infrared capabilities of JWST are uncovering the atmospheres of exoplanets in an unprecedented way. The chemical signatures of planets, ranging from ultra-hot gas giants to cooler terrestrial-sized worlds, are actively being probed and detected, with searches for biomarker signatures already underway. In this presentation, I will discuss some of the outstanding questions in the exoplanet field and showcase the new capabilities that JWST has brought to address these questions. I will also present new results from ongoing JWST programs, including transit observations of terrestrial, Neptune, and Jupiter-mass planets discussing the implications for the chemistry and atmospheric physics of these planets.

Speaker: David Sing (Johns Hopkins University)

Talks are held in the STScI John N. Bahcall Auditorium. Light lunch (provided) starts at 12pm; talk starts at 12:30pm.

Planets, Life, and the Universe Lecture Series presentations are also webcast live. Webcasts can be viewed at the STScI webcast site during the scheduled presentation, and can be found afterward in the STScI webcast archive.

STScI is located in the Muller Building on the Johns Hopkins University Homewood campus. View a JHU map and directions.