WEBVTT

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How to study exoplanets,
Webb and challenges.

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Thousands of exoplanets
have been discovered,

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but there's still
a lot we don't know

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about these fascinating worlds.

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How did these planets form?

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Can planets around
red dwarf stars

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hold an atmosphere in the face
of violent stellar flares?

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What can these worlds tell us
about our own solar system?

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The James Webb
Space Telescope is

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helping answer these
questions by observing

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some of the most interesting
exoplanets astronomers

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have identified so far.

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With its large mirror, high
degree of infrared sensitivity,

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and spectroscopic
capabilities, Webb

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can explore a greater diversity
of molecular components

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of an exoplanet's
atmosphere than ever before.

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From finding sulfur dioxide
present in the atmosphere of gas

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giant exoplanet WASP-39 b ...

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to noting the absence of
a significant atmosphere

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on Trappist-1 b, a rocky
exoplanet somewhat larger

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than Earth, Webb is advancing
the field of exoplanet science.

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Studying these distant
worlds requires

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identifying innovative
tools and methods

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to navigate
challenging conditions.

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For example, we can use an
instrument called a coronagraph

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to block out some of
the bright starlight

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and reveal exoplanets
if they are far away

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enough from their host stars.

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Even with current
telescope technology,

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limitations still exist
such as the inability

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to directly image Earth-like
exoplanets because they're

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too faint and typically too
close to their host stars.

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Any imaged exoplanet will
resemble a tiny pinprick

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of light, which is why
every detailed image

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of an exoplanet you see is
actually an artist's concept.

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To study worlds where direct
imaging is not feasible,

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scientists use other methods,
like noting the light from

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a star that is passed through
an exoplanet's atmosphere --

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also known as
transit spectroscopy.

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This can be a
time-consuming endeavor

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as it is dependent on the
exoplanets orbital path

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and often entails
multiple transits

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to piece together the planet's
atmospheric composition.

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Multiple transits also build
a more reliable dataset

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that helps control
for starspots, flares,

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and other unexpected activity
from the exoplanet's host star.

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Although studying other
worlds is challenging,

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the data Webb gathers is
helping us answer big questions.

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And Webb is just
getting started!

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