Enthusiasm among astronomers before the first results of 'James Webb'

Space Telescope

(JWST) is already beginning to transform our understanding of the planets in our solar system and beyond.

A highly versatile satellite observatory, JWST enjoys a clear view from its orbital position in space, 1.5 million kilometers from Earth.

This gives it a greater advantage over ground-based telescopes, which offer images of space distorted by Earth's dense atmosphere.

The JWST collects five times more light than the Hubble Space

(HST), allowing it to detect faint signals from distant planets thanks to its spectroscopic capabilities.

Space Telescope

, only a very small number of molecules could be observed, such as water, carbon monoxide and sodium," explains Jérémy Leconte, an astrophysicist at the University of Bordeaux in France.

More information

New images from the 'James Webb' telescope show giant planets, dying stars and galaxies colliding at high speed

Previous missions and observations from Earth have discovered thousands of exoplanets (those outside our solar system), and astronomy experts are already taking advantage of the unique capabilities of

to study the building blocks of life in the Universe. .

alien atmospheres

Earlier this year, thanks to the

telescope , a team of astrophysics experts were able to observe an exoplanet orbiting a star similar to the Sun, 700 light-years away.

Starlight passing through the hot atmosphere of the Jupiter-like planet WASP-39b gave them a glimpse into the chemistry of the alien skies.

Telescopes on Earth present difficulties in observing carbon dioxide on exoplanets, since they must first pass through the CO₂ in their own atmosphere.

The JWST observatory makes it possible to detect a greater variety of molecules in the sky of WASP-39b, including carbon dioxide.

The presence of this compound in the atmosphere may indicate the existence of organic life on the planet.

The Carina nebula, captured by the 'James Webb' space telescope. DPA via Europa Press (DPA via Europa Press)

"This would mark a before and after," says Leconte.

“We have to start studying the planets that orbit around stars close to us.

It is a unique opportunity to be able to characterize their atmospheres”.

Leconte is particularly interested in studying the seven rocky planets that orbit the dwarf star TRAPPIST-1, 40 light years away, especially regarding their atmospheres.

These planets are within the habitable zone, which means that they have the right temperatures for water to remain liquid.

In general, when scientific teams make predictions about a planet's atmosphere, they tend to assume that it is homogeneous, that is, that the same conditions exist throughout the world.

However, this is unlikely to be true.

This would mark a before and after.

We have to start studying the planets that orbit nearby stars.

A unique opportunity to characterize your atmospheres

Jérémy Leconte, astrophysicist at the University of Bordeaux (France)

Leconte has developed a 3D simulator (as part of the WHIPLASH project, funded by the European Union's Horizon programme) to reproduce planets based on known characteristics, such as the presence of liquid water.

Using simulated planets to run these tests is like having the answers in the back of a math book: the answers the models provide can be compared to known characteristics.

Many thousands more planets are likely to be discovered in the coming years, including those found with the new space telescope.

The research team wants to determine if their models can provide accurate information.

The answers to some of the questions about the most distant planets may be found in the four largest planets in our solar system: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

orbiter mission

has provided spectacular views of Jupiter, while the

spacecraft revealed details about Saturn.

Previously, the

which passed by Neptune and Uranus, captured images of their atmospheres.

Reconstruction of the supernova ASASSN15lh, seen from an exoplanet that was 10,000 light years from the star.Wayne Rosing

four giant planets

To understand the weather and climate patterns of these planets, Leigh Fletcher leads a project called GIANTCLIMES, which tries to make sense of scattered information about their continually changing atmospheres.

The project makes use of previous observations made from ground-based telescopes to understand the natural cycles of the four giant planets over many decades.

This work has served as the basis for the novel and highly anticipated maps of these planets, which will be provided by the JWST.

We've captured glorious images of planets showing storm systems and candy-colored stripes, which are large-scale weather circulation patterns.

Leigh Fletcher, Professor Planetary Scientist at the University of Leicester

Uranus and Neptune, the so-called ice giants, are the most distant planets in the solar system and still retain a certain aura of mystery.

They are mainly made up of hydrogen, helium and other gases such as methane.

"There is a lot of potential for new discoveries on these two planets," adds Fletcher.

"Compared to the much better studied gas giants (Jupiter and Saturn), we don't know much about the atmospheres of these ice giants."

The clouds of Titan, Saturn's largest moon, in the composite image captured by the 'Cassini' probe, are made up of hydrocarbons that precipitate as a mist of methane.NASA

methane snow

If, on the one hand, Saturn has been shown to have massive storm systems, Neptune may have methane blizzards.

The key variable in weather patterns is always temperature, as on distant Neptune and Uranus, where temperatures are freezing.

With the publication of the first maps of the atmospheric temperatures of Uranus's stratosphere, some progress has already been made.

Amazing seasonal circulation systems and bright spots have been revealed over the poles.

And it also allows one to assume that the giant planets, often tilted on their axis, have extremely long seasons.

"We see that there are seasons that modulate atmospheric temperatures, clouds and precipitation, just like on Earth."

And adds Fletcher: “But we also see regular natural cycles in the atmosphere that are not seasonal.

We are just beginning to understand the climate of giant planets."

In addition, Neptune's atmosphere showed significant weather and storm activity, but what surprised the research team most is that the planet appears to have cooled during the summer, rather than warmed up.

GIANTCLIMES is the project that lays the foundations for the arrival of the JWST.

The new telescope has already captured images of Jupiter and, in the near future, will turn its attention to Uranus and Saturn, focusing on Neptune in early 2023, allowing for comparisons between the different planets.

"What we're essentially trying to understand is how the climates of the four giant planets work," says Fletcher.

It is expected to obtain more information about the natural cycles of climate variability detected in Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

These extremes could even go so far as to tell us more about Earth's climate and its weather patterns.

The Spanish astrophysicist Begoña Vila, one of those responsible for the instruments of the space telescope 'James Webb'BV

Extraterrestrial life

Studies focused on the four giant planets are also important for exoplanet research.

“Our solar system is made up of a diverse set of planetary atmospheres, which could serve as a template for what we find around other stars,” Fletcher enthuses.

"Perhaps these exoplanetary targets also show similar natural cycles, and based on that, our ultimate goal is to try to get a weather or climate prediction for all planets, not just those in our solar system," Fletcher says.

More information

A mission to search for aliens in the closest star to Earth

The JWST will allow the scientific community access to sharper images of the atmosphere of planets in the outer reaches of the solar system, but also of planets that are light-years away, some of which may be surrounded by protective atmospheres and conditions land conducive to extraterrestrial life.

“Right now there are two areas in which rapid advances are being made in astrophysics: exoplanets and cosmology.

In reality, all of this boils down to questions about God and life, that is, where the Universe comes from and where we come from”, concludes Leconte.

The research referred to in this article has been funded through the European Research Council (ERC) of the EU.

Article originally published in '

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