Wiretapping a Star: How a Naked Planet Helps Find Air ⚡ экспресс
The planets of the TRAPPIST-1 system are the best candidates for finding atmospheres on Earth-like worlds. However, the James Webb Space Telescope sees interference from starspots and flares. To correct this, transits of airless TRAPPIST-1 b are used as a template to subtract stellar noise from the data for TRAPPIST-1 e. Modeling: 15 such transits will confidently detect a CO₂ atmosphere. Early observations revealed that powerful flares disrupt the method, and small assumptions in the analysis can severely distort the picture — like ripples on a pond warping a reflection.
Eavesdropping on a distant planet's atmosphere is hampered by the star's noise. In the TRAPPIST-1 system, astronomers used a planet-"bug": TRAPPIST-1 b — an airless neighbor that records only the interference. By subtracting this recording from the signal of planet TRAPPIST-1 e, we can isolate the pure voice of its air.
Initial observations by James Webb proved the idea works: on quiet days, no traces of air are seen, as expected. But the star's whims continue a game of broken telephone. The search for an atmosphere on TRAPPIST-1 e goes on — hoping to catch the star in a good mood.
🎯 The TRAPPIST-1 system is so compact that all its planets could fit inside Mercury's orbit. A year on TRAPPIST-1 e lasts just 6 Earth days.