Nikole K. Lewis

Webb studied the planet HAT-P-26 b and found water, carbon dioxide, and sulfur dioxide in its air. Previously, SO₂ had only been spotted on scorching hot giants or chilly sub-Neptunes; now it's clear that photochemistry works across a wide temperature range. A trend emerged: the higher the atmospher

The James Webb telescope is hunting for an atmosphere on TRAPPIST-1 e, but the star's flares get in the way. Scientists found a fix: record the noise using the neighboring airless planet TRAPPIST-1 b, then subtract it from the main signal. Early tests show the method works on quiet days, but a power

Atmospheres of many sub-Neptunes are shrouded in dense organic hazes that hide their true composition. In lab experiments, such hazes were recreated from water vapor, methane, and carbon dioxide, then irradiated with ultraviolet light, mimicking flares from red dwarfs. It turned out that after irrad

The James Webb Space Telescope has peered into a previously unseen world: the atmosphere of the giant planet WD 1856 b, orbiting a white dwarf. The transit spectrum from 0.5 to 5.0 μm revealed hydrocarbons, including methane with a significance of 17:1 to 30:1, thick aerosols, and thermal glow from