A new paper argues that the JWST needs to spend more time doing 'deep habitability reconnaissance' on exoplanets it's already observed.
This illustration shows what exoplanet K2-18 b could look like based on science data. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope examined the exoplanet and revealed the presence of carbon-bearing molecules. The abundance of methane and carbon dioxide, and shortage of ammonia, support the hypothesis that there may be a water ocean underneath a hydrogen-rich atmosphere in K2-18 b. But more extensive observations with the JWST are needed to understand its atmosphere with greater confidence.
Doyon points out that even though one of the JWST’s main goals is to probe exoplanet atmospheres, it’s only done that for a small handful of planets: Trappist-1d, e, f, g, LHS1140b, and the mini-Neptune K2-18b. Red dwarf flaring introduces another problem. All that stellar activity can make it harder for the JWST to study exoplanet atmospheres spectroscopically.
“We contend that given JWST’s limited lifetime, a comprehensive program of both eclipse and transmission spectroscopy of a key sample of temperate planets is an essential way forward,” Doyon writes. Doyon calls this effort to observe LHS-1140 b and the other exoplanets in the Golden-J sample more thoroughly ‘deep habitability reconnaissance.’
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